The kitchen sink is one of the most used elements in the house, used for washing dishes, rinsing fruit and vegetables and preparing food. Precisely for this reason, many residues end up down the drain, from traces of detergent to small food particles and cooking water. However, there is a substance that should never enter the pipes, namely residual grease.
After cooking a roast or frying vegetables, the temptation to pour the used oil directly into the sink is strong, a seemingly harmless gesture that many people do without thinking about the consequences. In reality, this habit can cause serious and costly damage to your home plumbing system and municipal sewer system.
What happens when grease ends up in the pipes
The main problem with grease is its behavior once it enters the exhaust system. When hot, the oil flows easily through the pipes along with the water, the fact is that the temperature of the pipes is much lower than that of the pan just removed from the heat, so the fat will cool quickly and begin to solidify, adhering to the internal walls of the pipes. This process happens gradually but inexorably, and every time we pour even a small amount of grease into the drain, we will add a thin layer to the encrustations already present. As time passes, the various layers accumulate and form increasingly thicker and more resistant blocks, with the solidified substance taking on a viscous and sticky consistency, of a whitish-grey colour, capable of also trapping other residues such as food particles and hair.
The progressive accumulation will narrow the internal diameter of the pipes, the water will struggle more and more to flow, until the pipe is completely blocked. At this point, we will have a clogged sink and stagnant water, with the drain practically impossible to use. Furthermore, the problem could also extend to external manholes and the sewer system, with consequences that would go beyond the individual home.
Damage to the plumbing system and repair costs
A blockage caused by grease often requires the intervention of a professional plumber. In the simplest cases, it is possible to free the pipe with a high pressure water jet, or with specific mechanical tools. More complex situations require the manual removal of solidified blocks, an unpleasant and laborious operation.
Plumbers sometimes have to open manholes and remove the accumulated slime by hand, wearing protective gloves to extract that disgusting mass that completely blocks the passage. In some cases, a camera inspection is even needed, the infamous video inspection, to check the condition of the entire pipe and identify any obstructions further away from the access point.
The cost of these interventions can be high. A simple professional cleaning starts from several tens of euros, while in the most serious cases the expense can exceed several hundred euros, without forgetting that, if the problem were to extend to the municipal sewerage system, there could also be legal consequences and administrative sanctions for the person responsible for the damage.
How to properly dispose of cooking fat
The solution to avoid all these problems is simple, never pour grease into the sink, also because there are safe and practical methods to dispose of it correctly:
A responsible choice
Properly disposing of grease is not only a matter of home maintenance, but also of civic responsibility. Obstructions in the municipal sewer system create problems for the entire community and require expensive interventions financed with public money. Adopting good habits in the kitchen means protecting your plumbing system, saving money and avoiding future inconveniences, so do it!
