4 Kitchen Tips for Preventing Clogs in Your Home's Main Sewer Line
While you may already take measures in the bathroom to keep your main sewer line from clogging up, you may wonder if there is anything you can do in the kitchen to keep food and grease from blocking the pipe. If so, use the following four tips for preventing clogs in your home's main sewer line while working in the kitchen.
Avoid Draining Grease in the Sink
One sure way to develop a grease clog in your main sewer pipe is to drain grease from meat in the kitchen sink. Even if you think you are taking precautions by following it with grease-cutting dish detergent or running the faucet for several minutes afterward, the grease can and often will accumulate within the sewer's main line.
Avoid draining any grease in the sink, even if you think it is only a tiny amount. Although doing this once may not hurt your sewer line, even small amounts will eventually build up over time. Instead, drain your grease in a metal coffee can, then dispose of it in the garbage.
Use a Sink Strainer to Catch Foods
More than likely, your kitchen sink's plug has a strainer attached to it that is designed to catch large chunks of food to keep it from going down the drain. However, if you remove it while draining the sink or turn it upside down, it cannot do its job of keeping food from clogging up the drain and sewer line.
Whenever you drain the sink, pull the strainer out until water starts leaving the sink. Then, turn it about a quarter turn so that the plug rests on the crosshairs of the drain. This will keep the strainer in position while still allowing water to drain out from the sink.
Keep Fatty Foods out of the Garbage Disposal
If you tend to put fatty foods in the garbage disposal because you believe it will not affect your sewer line, think again. Since a garbage disposal is only designed to chop up food into tiny pieces, it will not remove or break down the grease, fats, or oils. It may even release more of these substances as the disposal cuts into chunks of fat.
After eating a meal with greasy meats, skip putting the leftover fat and gristle in the garbage disposal. Instead, wrap it up and place it in your garbage can where it cannot contaminate your sewer line.
Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain after Washing Dishes
After washing your dinner dishes and draining the water out of your kitchen sink, another thing you can do to prevent a clog in your sewer line is to pour a cup of boiling water down the drain. As the water makes its way through the sewer pipe, the heat from the water and the steam it produces can help prevent any residual grease from sticking to the pipes.
If you have just finished washing pots and pans after a particularly fatty or greasy meal, you may also want to use a homemade drain cleaner before you pour boiling water down the drain. This added step may help keep the excess oils and grease from clinging to the sides of your main sewer line, as well as flush away any surface grease.
Even if you have been vigilant about preventing clogs in your sewer line, you may still have a clog develop within the pipe. If you suspect that this is the case, contact a plumber at companies like Young Plumbing Corporation that provide sewer main cleaning services to have them inspect your pipes and discuss your options for getting rid of any blockages.
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