Grease Clog in Drain: Best Treatment and Maintenance Guide

Pouring grease down the drain? Stop immediately! In just a few weeks, a grease clog in drain pipes forms a solid mass that causes sewer line damage, attracts tree roots and blocks wastewater from leaving your house.

Fat, cooking oil and grease (FOG clogs) are the leading cause of blocked drain and clogged pipe issues in Texas. Our expert plumbers contributed their best plumbing tips to this guide to removing that stubborn grease from your drains and pipes.

An enzyme drain cleaner is the best way to tackle grease buildup and conduct simple monthly drain maintenance. Persistent clogs in your kitchen sink or grease trap may require a drain snake (augering).

Mother Modern Plumbing is a leader in Dallas-Fort Worth drain cleaning technology. Take advantage of our $299 complete drain cleaning service, which comes with a video camera inspection and free bottle of Endure, the best drain cleaner for grease.

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How Do Grease Clogs Form?

The moment you pour hot grease or cooking oil down the kitchen sink drain, it begins to cool and solidify. It sticks to the inside walls of your drain pipe, where it traps food scrap materials, fats and even more grease.

Initial warning signs of a grease clogged drain include a gurgling noise in your drain, standing water in your kitchen sink and foul odors in your kitchen.

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

It only takes a few weeks for grease accumulation to cause serious plumbing issues. A drain clog near your sink causes grease trap buildup, slow drain issues, and garbage disposal malfunctions.

If left untreated, the blockage moves into your main sewer line. There, it causes a host of plumbing issues — clogged pipes, tree root intrusion and sewage backup into your home.

Grease Clog In Drain: Treatment Options

Treat that stubborn clog right away before it becomes a sewer system issue. 

Here are some quick action steps to clean grease from your kitchen drain (and one thing to never do):

1. Hot water flush. Pour boiling water down the drain. It won't remove the clog, but it will temporarily loosen the grease and cause some debris to un-stick.
2. Call a plumber for enzyme drain cleaning. Endure enzyme drain cleaner is the best option for removing grease from drains. You avoid the pipe damage and corrosion caused by chemical drain cleaners. Speaking of which…
3. Never use a chemical drain cleaner. These products contain toxic chemicals like sodium hydroxide (lye), hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. They eat away at your plumbing system, dissolve metal and plastic pipes, and cause major health issues.
4. Drain snaking for stubborn clogs. Large, persistent clogs may require a drain snake (auger) for removal. This tool spirals into your drain to dislodge grease buildup from your pipe walls.

PRO TIP: The DIY home remedy of baking soda and vinegar isn't very effective at grease removal. What's worse, the baking soda in this remedy can stick to the grease in your pipes and only worsen the blockage.

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Drain Maintenance Tips to Protect Against Grease Clogs

The only thing better than removing a grease clog is making sure one never forms again.

We asked our expert DFW plumbers for a list of helpful tips for preventing grease clogs in the future. Here are their 3 best pieces of advice:

1. Monthly enzymatic drain cleaning. Michigan State University reports that using enzyme drain cleaner as a pretreatment provides long-term benefits. 
2. Consider a sink strainer. A simple sink strainer catches food particles and larger globs of fat and grease before they reach your drain pipe. Most serviceable strainers cost well under $15.
3. Never pour grease down the drain again! The next time you feel like pouring cooking grease down the sink, remember the headache it caused. The “convenience” is never worth the problems it creates.

FREE DRAIN CLEANER! After our initial drain cleaning service, we give Dallas-Fort Worth homeowners a free bottle of Endure drain cleaner to keep. Use Endure every 30 days to keep up the fight against grease buildup.

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10 things you should never pour down the sink

The Brazos River Authority manages and protects the Brazos River Basin in Texas. It published a great list of household and food items that cause grease accumulation. 

Our plumbing experts added 2 items to the list — here are 10 things should never go down your sink drain:

1. Cooking oil
2. Salad dressing
3. Coconut oil
4. Peanut butter
5. Lard
6. Petroleum jelly
7. Mayonnaise
8. Cosmetic oils
9. Butter
10. Bacon grease

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Why Is Pouring Grease Down the Drain So Bad?

Even if you can live with the risk of a blocked pipe, pouring grease down the drain, the world around you can't. Introducing grease into your plumbing system has negative environmental impact from your backyard to the city water supply. 

It also costs you money, even if the grease clog leaves your home's plumbing system.

Problems at home and in your yard

Air Force Safety Center research states grease blockages in pipes “lead to floods within your home or the environment”. 

These backyard floods attract pests, cause burst sewer pipes, create foul-smelling wastewater puddles in your yard, and expose your family and pets to bacteria and viruses found in sewage and wastewater.

Grease clogs can raise your taxes

If your grease clog makes its way into the city water supply or sewer system, it can leave a dent in your wallet.

The Brazos River Authority of Texas warns that cities “spend millions of dollars a year addressing damaged sewer systems and clearing out masses of solid waste". These costs are passed to the local taxpayers — that means you pay the price for flushing grease down your kitchen sink.

Call Us for Fast, Affordable DFW Grease Clog Removal

Mother Modern Plumbing provides fast, inexpensive drain cleaning service to Dallas-Fort Worth residents. Call us for $299 drain cleaning and video camera inspection — our service call is done in one appointment on one day.

We're committed to long-term drain maintenance. We'll set you up with an extra bottle of enzyme drain cleaner to prevent clogged drains in the future, plus give you a 120-warranty on clog removal service.

Get that standing water out of your sink and those nasty odors out of your kitchen — it's time to call Mother!

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