Why You Should Never Pour Fat or Grease Down the Drain
When you’re cooking, the sink can seem like a convenient way to get rid of grease and oil. However, pouring even a small amount of grease down the drain can have catastrophic consequences for your plumbing, whether you have a septic tank or municipal sewer service. Below is an explanation of why you should always keep grease in a container and throw it away when it’s cooled.
Why You Shouldn’t Flush Grease Down the Drain
It Creates Difficult-to-Clear Clogs
Once it enters your pipes, grease fats run into other substances, which break them down into fatty acids and glycerol. When the fatty acids encounter calcium, which is present in other waste and even the water itself, the two bind into sticky, dense globs. Over time, these deposits can completely clog municipal sewer systems, as well as the pipes in your house.
Fat Can Ruin Your Drain Field
In a septic tank, solid waste is supposed to sink to the bottom while wastewater floats to the top. However, grease and oil are less dense than water, so they create a scum on top of the waste in the tank. Eventually, these substances find their way out of your septic tank and into your drain field.
Septic drain fields are designed to handle only water, so grease and oil can quickly clog the pipes that are supposed to distribute wastewater back into the soil. To repair issues caused by grease and oil, you’ll need to excavate part of your lawn, which can be disruptive and expensive. If the problem isn’t identified in time, the tank itself can over-flow, forcing raw sewage back up the pipes and into your home.
If your septic system isn’t performing as it should, trust the experts at American On Site to address the problem quickly and affordably. For over 15 years, their team has provided comprehensive septic tank repairs and installation services to homeowners throughout Molalla and Newberg, OR. Visit their website to learn how they will get your septic system running again, call (503) 829-7600 to contact their Molalla location, or dial (503) 538-8808 to speak with a septic professional in Newberg.
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