What Grease Does to Your Sewage System and How to Prevent Problems
From cooking through to disposing of cosmetic products, there are lots of ways grease can make its way into your drains. In some instances, this is unavoidable. However, if you're using your sinkhole as a convenient disposal system for everything that's fatty and greasy, it's worth exploring the effects it has on your sewage system.
First of all, what counts as a greasy product?
Most greasy products are obvious and, hopefully, you wouldn't think to place them down your drain. For example, car oil, cooking oil and melted butter should never go down the drain. At the same time, the fat that starts to gather when you're cooking mince may count as grease, but you could absentmindedly pour it into the sink. Substances that some people use during their beauty routine, such as cooking oil and cleansers for dry skin, are also greasy. The same goes for medical emollients.
Fat and grease start to build slowly inside drain pipes
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that fat and grease will flow smoothly through your sewage system. However, they're more viscous than water, which means they're thicker. That also means that they don't move as fast. Both are at their thinnest and fastest when they're hot. But, as they come into contact with the cool drain pipes, they become thicker still and eventually settle around the pipes' edges.
With time, too many attempts at incorrect disposal leads to a clog
Much like the fatty plaques in your arteries, the grease that gathers around pipes attracts its fellow substances. What might start as a smooth and thin coating can lead to a large buildup. Eventually, you may become aware of a severe narrowing when sinks don't drain well, or when they begin emitting strange smells.
The clogging process becomes faster when you include other factors
Grease on its own will cause enough nightmares for sewage system plants. But, when you add other everyday household items into the mix, those clogs form faster. Hair is possibly the commonest example, as most people shed at least some when they bathe or shower. Coffee grinds can also add to the equation, depending on how you dispose of them. If you don't scrape your plate correctly before washing it or placing it in the dishwasher, that too will increase a sewage system clog risk.
Preven clogs by taking a sensible alternative to grease disposal
If you do love to use cooking oils or you see a build-up of meat-related fat or grease, confine it to a tin, let it solidify, and throw it out with your normal trash. When using greasy beauty products, do so over a bowl and flush the contents down the loo so it moves along faster. With a tactical approach, grease shouldn't place your sewage system at a high risk of clogging