Why You Shouldn't Pour Oil or Grease Down Your Sink

It’s widely known that it’s a bad idea to pour oil or grease down your sink. Whether you’ve been cooking a chicken or frying food, you should always pour away the oil or grease into a jar, allow it to harden and then dispose with your normal black bin waste. For the types that don’t solidify, pour it in a sealable container such as a bottle and throw away with your household rubbish.

But why shouldn’t you pour oil down the sink? It’s a liquid after all, right?

True, whilst it might be tempting to pour away your cooking oils and grease down the drains, it’s what happens in the drain afterwards which can cause major problems. Though they appear as liquids when pouring them down the sink, warm oil and grease, being fatty products, will solidify when they meet cold water or air. Floating on top of the water as it travels through your drain system, the solidifying fat can begin to coat the drainage pipe. Over time, repeated disposal of oil and grease in this manner will contribute to the accumulation of the fatty deposit in your drainage pipes, leading to an obstruction or clog.

On large scales, such as sewers, the fatty, solidified deposits can grow so big they’re referred to as Fatbergs and can take hours to remove.

One fatberg found in the sewers of London was the size of 11 double-decker buses and weighed as much as 130 tons, taking three weeks to remove!

london fatberg

As you can see, fatty products being poured and washed away down the sink can pose a major problem. Not only can they clog your drains up, they can also crack your pipes, leading to a drain repair or even a new pipe installation.

If you’re guilty of pouring grease away and are beginning to see a slowdown of water draining down your sink, this could be a telltale sign that you have a build up of fat in your pipes. A nasty smell emitting from the drains can also be a giveaway. By hiring a professional, like Jonny’s Drains, to perform a thorough drain unblocking services, you can nip this problematic issue in the bud before it gets worse. By ignoring the problem, the clogged drain could easily worsen and could even cause water waste to back up into your property, causing damage and stress, all of which are unnecessary and can be costly to rectify.

So if you have a sneaking suspicion that you may have a clogged drain from years of oil abuse, give Jonny’s Drains a call today on 01959928853! Our blocked drain services are available throughout Croydon, Bromley, Kent and Surrey.

And remember, not to pour any more fatty products down the drain!