Imagine spending hours slaving over a hot stove for that dinner party you’ve organised, or that summer BBQ everyone’s been looking forward to (I’m sure we’ve all been there). At the end of the day, the fried fish, prawns and potato scallops all turn out great, everyone gets along like a house on fire and now it’s time for the cleaning up; the dishes get washed, the floor’s been swept and all that excess cooking oil gets poured down the sink, right? Wrong. Fats and oils should never be poured down the sink, they solidify when coming into contact with cold water and can cause a blockage within a matter of minutes. If you happen to make this ghastly mistake, try a couple of simple steps which may help to minimise the damage:
- Pour a mix of warm water and detergent down your drain to dilute the cooking fats, try boiling a couple of pots of water on the stove to prevent water wastage, repeat this step a couple of times.
- If this doesn’t work, pour a little bit of bleach, followed by hot water down the drain.
- If this still doesn’t work, give Pipe Perfection a call and we’ll get one of our trained professionals to come and help you out.
Fatbergs are formed in pipes when fat, oil and grease are poured down sinks and drains
However, to avoid this disaster in the first place, make a habit of collecting excess oil into a plastic container or jar and re-use as necessary, or once the jar is full, contact your local council and find out where your nearest oil disposal/recycling facility is.