Are Fats Oil and Grease (FOGs) Ruining Your Drains?

Fats, oil and grease (FOGs) are the worst thing to pour down your drains. They turn solid as they cool, sticking to the inside of your pipes and trapping hair, food and wastewater. FOGs are a leading cause of drain clogs, backed up sewer pipes and sewage overflow on your property.

Your best defense against clogged drains is to never pour fats, oil and grease into your plumbing system. Our expert plumbers recommend Endure, an enzymatic drain cleaner that turns grease clogs into harmless CO2 gas that leaves your sewer pipes.

• Fats, oil and grease cause major sewer line problems. FOGs create solid clogs that lead to sewer backup, improper wastewater disposal and sewer line leaks.
• Grease clogs don’t stop at your property line. FOGs accumulate even after they leave your main line and cause clogs in your public sewer system or septic tank.
• Use enzyme drain cleaners for grease buildup. Our Dallas-Fort Worth plumbing experts are licensed to use Endure, a leading innovator in grease eating drain cleaning.
• Schedule annual drain cleaning to fight grease clogs. Our Platinum Pipeline Club membership includes a $200 annual drain cleaning coupon and free sewer leak test.

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How Fats, Oil and Grease Damage Plumbing

Fats oil and grease (collectively known as FOGs) are incredibly tough to get out of your pipes. Excessive FOG buildup doesn't just create nasty clogs — they “glue” food scraps, hair and other organic materials as they build up in your pipes and drains.

Grease blockages quickly expand to unmanageable levels, wreaking all types of havoc in your home plumbing system:

• Excessive FOG buildup in your sewer line creates raw sewage backup into your sink and floor drains.
• Fatty acids in a “FOG clog” eat away at your pipes. Over time, they cause sewer line leaks and pipe damage.
• Once FOGs cling and settle in your plumbing, they're difficult to remove.

Grease clogs: the hardest type of drain clogs to clear?

Our expert plumbers say FOG clogs are among the most difficult to clear from home plumbing systems. 

“Think about fat, oil and grease in your pipes like cholesterol in your body," one plumber told us. “It doesn't just stick to the walls — it hardens in place once it's there and only gets worse.”

We know it's tempting, but never pour fat, cooking oil or grease down the sink drain or any other drain in your home. It doesn't matter if you have a grease trap or grease interceptor in your system — it's going to accumulate over time.

Long-Term Effects of FOGs Buildup in Pipes and Drains

Fats, oils and grease blockages in your sewer pipe can have devastating long-term effects. These include:

• Wastewater and raw sewage backup into your home.
• Inefficient wastewater flow away from your home.
• Accumulation of food waste and human waste in your main sewer pipe.
• Attraction of intrusive tree roots to the organic clog in your pipe.
• Potential damage, cracks and breaks in your main sewer line.
• Wastewater flooding in your backyard.
• Toxic sewage gas leaks in your backyard.

If left unchecked, FOG clogs in your drains create a breeding ground for pests and bacteria. Symptoms of a grease clog in drains include:

• Biofilm and bacteria accumulation in your grease trap.
• Pest infestation around your floor drains and sink drains.
• Wastewater backup in your sink and bathroom drains.
• Wastewater backup around your water using appliances.

How fat and grease clogs affect the public sewer system

FOG blockages in your main sewer line can travel into the public sewer system. 

If you've read about “fatbergs" (large, congealed masses of fat and grease) in the public works system, improper FOG disposal is to blame.

Our plumbers live and work in Dallas-Fort Worth — we don't want any “fatbergs” here! We're committed to fast, efficient and environmentally responsible sewer line clog repair.

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Why DIY Grease Clog Solutions Don’t Work

DIY grease clog solutions don't work for 2 primary reasons:

1. They utilize corrosive, caustic chemicals that eat away at your plumbing, or
2. They simply add to the clog.

Pouring bleach or Drano down the sink drain is a terrible idea. These products cut grease, sure — but they also cut every pipe and drain they touch. It's not worth partially clearing a FOG clog and creating a cracked sewer pipe at the same time.

Some online sources suggest a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clear a grease clog. This combination isn't incredibly effective for medium to large-sized clogs — often becoming part of the clog themselves. And large quantities of baking soda and vinegar can also eat away at your pipe system.

Our licensed DFW plumbers love Endure drain cleaner

Our expert Dallas-Fort Worth plumbers are trained and licensed to use Endure — we think it's the best drain cleaner for grease buildup.

Endure is an enzyme-based drain cleaner that doesn't harm your drains or pipes. Instead, Endure turns fats, oil and grease into carbon dioxide gas. This gas passes safely through your sewer line and out into the public sewer system (or your septic tank).

The best part? Endure tackles grease blockage anywhere in your system, even deep in your sewer pipe. Our customers get a free bottle of Endure for ongoing maintenance after their drain cleaning service — use it once every 30 days for best results.

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Prevent FOGs With Annual Drain Cleaning

Dallas-Fort Worth residents: get $200 in annual drain cleaning coupons with a Mother membership!

Preventative maintenance starts with Mother's best management practices for healthy drains. That starts with annual drain cleaning — our members get $200 towards that service call every year.

Use an enzyme drain cleaner like Endure once every 30 days for optimal protection against FOG clogs in your plumbing system.

DFW residents: get $200 in annual drain cleaning coupons!

Dallas-Fort Worth area residents who join our Platinum Pipeline Plus Club get $200 in annual drain cleaning coupons! Make FOG control affordable and keep your drains and main line free of grease clogs with our fast, efficient service.

Here are 6 more awesome benefits of Mother's DFW plumbing membership program:

1. 16% discount on every plumbing job
2. Pre-scheduled annual water heater flush service
3. Zero dispatch fees (100% waived)
4. Weekday appointments guaranteed within 24 hours
5. Exclusive FaceTime access to emergency plumbers
6. Free fresh water and sewer leak testing

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FAQs About Fats Oil and Grease

Let’s answer some of our DFW customers’ most frequently asked questions about fats, oil and grease and their affect on your home plumbing system.

What happens if fat goes down the drain?

As soon as fat goes down the sink drain, it coats the walls of your main sewer line. This fat attracts grease, cooking oil, hair and other organic materials to form persistent clogs.

How long does it take for grease to clog a drain?

Grease accumulation clogs a drain within a few months, if not sooner. If you pour grease or oil down the drain, stop immediately and use a  grease eating drain cleaner like Endure.

Should I worry if I accidentally poured grease down the drain?

Don’t panic if you accidentally poured grease down your drain once — but don’t make it a habit. Prolonged improper disposal of grease creates clogs and trap backups.

How much oil can I pour down the drain?

The simple answer: none. You should never pour oil down your sink or any other drain in your house.

Is Drano bad for grease clogs?

Drano isn’t a good solution for fighting grease clogs in your main sewer line. While Drano eats grease, it also eats away at your damaged sewer line — don’t turn your clog into a leak!

What is the best drain cleaner for grease buildup?

Our licensed plumbers recommend (and use) Endure, an enzyme drain cleaner formulated to turn fats, oil and grease into harmless CO2 gas. That gas safely flows out of your sewer line. 

Schedule Professional DFW Drain Cleaning Service 

If you break one bad plumbing habit right now, it’s this — stop pouring fats, oil and grease down your drains. It’s a recipe for nasty clogs in your sewer line, drains and grease traps.

Mother’s expert plumbers help Dallas, Fort Worth and Tarrant County homeowners clear nasty FOG clogs from their plumbing with eco-friendly enzyme drain cleaners and state-of-the-art clog breaking technology.

Schedule drain cleaning service with us today — and join our membership program for a $200 coupon!

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