Can you pour grease down the drain? What to do instead

Can you pour grease down the drain?

No. Grease is liquid in the pan and solid in the pipe. As it cools it sticks to the pipe wall, and each greasy pan adds another layer. Metro Vancouver says a chemical reaction turns fats, oils and grease into a concrete-like material that can clog the pipes in your home.

It isn’t only bacon fat. Metro Vancouver counts dairy products, margarine, shortening, gravy, cooking oils, salad dressing and mayonnaise as fats, oils and grease.

Does hot water or dish soap wash grease through?

No. Hot water keeps grease liquid for a short distance, then the pipe cools it and it sets further along, where it is harder to reach. Metro Vancouver lists running hot water with soap as a common myth, and says greasy food mixed with soap still goes through the reaction that hardens it.

Can you pour grease down the toilet or the garburator instead?

No. The toilet and the kitchen sink drain into the same line, so the grease ends up in the same place. A garburator doesn’t help either. Metro Vancouver says it may break grease into small pieces, but that doesn’t make it go away. The City of Surrey adds that food waste can cause a blockage when it sticks to hardened grease.

How do you dispose of cooking oil and grease in Metro Vancouver?

Small amounts go in the green bin and large amounts go to a depot. Metro Vancouver’s campaign line is “wipe it, green bin it,” and the steps are short:

1. Let the pan cool.
2. Wipe or scrape small amounts of grease from plates, pots and pans into the green bin before you wash them.
3. Pour larger amounts, such as deep fryer oil, into a sealed container and take it to a recycling depot that accepts grease and oil.

For ground beef or bacon, pour the fat into a tin or jar, let it set, then scrape it into the green bin.

Are flushable wipes really flushable?

No. Metro Vancouver says wipes go in the garbage even when the package says flushable. It points out that no regulations currently set which products can carry that label, and that pee, poo and toilet paper are the only things safe to flush.

Wipes don’t break apart the way toilet paper does. They snag on rough spots and roots in the pipe, and grease binds them into a plug.

What else should stay out of drains and toilets?

Anything that doesn’t dissolve. The City of Vancouver lists personal products, paper towels, cat litter, baby wipes and grease among the most common causes of sewer backups. Dental floss, cotton swabs and hair belong in the garbage as well.

A sink strainer and a small bin beside the toilet cover most of this.

How much damage do grease and wipes cause?

Enough to cost the region millions every year. Metro Vancouver says it and its member municipalities spend at least $3 million a year repairing damage caused by fats, oils and grease in the sewer system, and over $2 million a year dealing with wipes.

Blockages can start on your side of the property line, in the pipe you pay to clear. The Insurance Bureau of Canada includes keeping fats, oils and grease out of your drains in its list of ways to prevent water damage at home.

What should you do if you’ve already poured grease down the drain?

Stop adding to it and watch how the drain behaves. One pan of grease rarely blocks a clear pipe, so there is no need to panic. What matters is whether the drain is already showing signs:

• The sink drains more slowly than it used to.
• It gurgles as it empties.
• A sour smell comes up from the drain.
• The dishwasher backs up into the sink.

If you see any of these, the pipe is already coated. Chasing it with boiling water or a chemical cleaner tends to move the grease further down without removing it. A plumber can clear the line with a drain snake, or with a hydro jetter that scours grease off the pipe wall. Our guide on why drains keep clogging explains the difference.

What about grease in a restaurant kitchen?

Commercial kitchens have their own rules. Metro Vancouver’s grease interceptor bylaw requires commercial and institutional kitchens to install and maintain a grease interceptor.

When to call a plumber

Call a plumber when:

• The kitchen sink is slow and plunging hasn’t helped.
• More than one drain is slow or gurgling.
• The drain clears, then blocks again within weeks.
• Water or sewage is coming up through a floor drain.

DrainX clears clogged drains with a drain snake or a hydro jetter and handles main line backups at any hour.