What Can A Septic Service Do For You?

You probably know you shouldn't pour grease or fat down a kitchen drain or put it in your garbage disposal. However, you may not understand the type of trouble and expense the habit of pouring grease down a drain can cause. Here's a look at what can happen.

Grease Coats The Sides Of The Drain

If the grease is still hot when you pour it down the drain, it may flow on through the kitchen drain until it reaches the sewer drain. The grease cools off as it contacts the plumbing pipes, and as it cools, it leaves a sticky coating behind on the drain.

Over time, the grease builds up, and it can cause your drain to get narrower and clog. The grease might also turn rancid and produce a foul odor that wafts up from your drain. The odor of decaying food bits caught in the grease might also attract tiny flies that become a nuisance in your kitchen.

Grease Builds Up In The Sewer Drain

Your kitchen drain empties into the sewer drain, and by the time grease reaches the sewer, it is probably getting cool and solid. This solid grease keeps building up in the drain since there is nothing to melt it and move it on through.

The grease traps other things going through the drain such as toilet paper and food from the garbage disposal. If you flush things like baby wipes or cigarette butts, they can get caught in the sticky grease and form a big clog that eventually causes your toilet to back up and your drains to stop working.

A Video Inspection May Be Needed

When your sewer drain is blocked up, you'll probably need to call a plumber to get it clear. Before the plumber begins cleaning the drain, they may want to do a video inspection to see what's causing the clog and to check the condition of the pipe. While a plumber is necessary to get your plumbing back in order, you can often prevent the need to spend money on an emergency call, video inspection, and drain cleaning if you never put grease in your drains.

Drain Cleaning Gets Rid Of Grease

Your plumber may decide to use a hydro jet on the clog once they've checked the condition of the pipe. A hydro jet has streams of water that blast out all around the head so the sides of the drain are washed clean. The water jet is powerful enough to cut through tough clogs made of tree roots, paper, and other solids.

The water can also knock off grease and other debris stuck to the sides of the drain. Once hydro jetting is complete, the clog is gone and your drains will empty fast again, and they'll have a good chance of staying that way if you're careful about the things you put down the drain, including grease.

To learn more about how drain cleaning could help your drains, contact a plumber in your area.