Here’s what you need to know about How to unclog a grease clogged drain 

Kitchen sink, bathtub and drainage pipes often get choked. There can be various reasons behind this clogging, but the matter must be immediately deal. If the problem is left unattended for long, it will result in flooding of home along with an unbearable smell. The issue does not emerge suddenly. Therefore, if you notice minor signs at early stages, you will not find yourself continuously asking, how to unclog a grease clogged drain?

Causes of Grease Clogged Drain:

How to unclog a grease clogged drain? It is a common question asked by people. Though cleaning of a clogged drain is difficult prevention of the mishap is possible. Let’s discuss the reasons first due to which clogging occurs in the first place.

Clogging of house drain can be due to many reasons, and grease is one of them. It is quite a common problem due to excessive use of fats, oil and grease. However, it inflicts severe damages if not treated carefully. Cleaning grease which is deposited inside drain pipes is a hectic task. It often consumes various hours, and in some cases, the hardware needs to be replaced. Avoid spending a large sum, and some easy yet effective methods can deal with the issue.

·      Food Items:

Grease, fats and oil are standard components present in food items. These are also used additionally during the cooking process. Food scraps, meat, dairy products, coffee grinds, butter, eggshell and rice contain these. When a little portion of these items is passed through the drain, grease from them deposited in the drain pipes. Whether this happens due to carelessness or by mistake, it may result in many problems, and you will continue asking, How to unclog a grease clogged drain?

·      Soaps:

Majority of soaps, detergents and shampoos are manufactured with vegetable oil and animal fat. When these oily products are used at home, the drain is affected easily and gets clogged. Since the use of such products cannot be stopped or decreased, thus it is recommended to look for cleaning materials that are free from oily ingredients. These soaps and washing powders are readily available in the market at affordable prices.

·      Defected Pipes:

If the pipes used in the drainage system are defected or of low quality, then the question How to unclog a grease clogged drain becomes common. A well-maintained drainage system is immune against grease and oil. It can provide resistance for years without any problem. However, if the pitch or slope of the pipe is extinct, then it is a likely issue. Grease clogging rarely occurs in drainage pipes. Hence if the problem arises regularly, then pipes must be repaired or replaced after inspection.

Various other items lead to clogging of a drain due to their oily nature. Any oil, butter, shortening, grease, margarine, food scraps, meat scraps, hard water and lard should be kept away from drainage pipes to keep your house clean. Otherwise, you will have to look for the answer to How to unclog a grease clogged drain.

A significant problem with grease is that it slowly yet steadily accumulates drainage pipes. In the beginning, it does not seem to be a problem. However, the pain increases with time and can get out of hands if proper techniques not incorporated. It affects the surrounding environment, and the air gets smelly. Water passage is blocked due to which it does not pass and results in overflow. The unhygienic issue is harmful to the health of house residents.

Places to Look for Grease Accumulation:

Grease can accumulate at any place that stays in contact with oily products. But there are certain specific places where it is more likely to be found. Kitchen sink often contains grease particles left from washed cutlery. Since they do not pass along with water, therefore these are commonly found stuck to sink walls. When water gets dried, grease becomes stable and is more difficult to remove.

The combination of fat, oil, grease and grit is commonly referred to as FOGG. These items deposit on the inner sides of a water pipe or the top of it. When more of oily water is passed through a water pipe, the same process is repeated, and the layer of grease keeps on increasing. With time it becomes intense and blocks water that tries to pass through. You have to ask later, How to unclog a grease clogged drain?

Leftover food particles should be removed from cutlery before washing them in the kitchen sink. It happens quite often that a little number of food chunks are present in plates and people wash them as it is due to laziness. Not only these food particles, but oil present in them cause blockage of water pipes and water cannot pass. Even if hot water is immediately poured in the sink, grease does not wash off easily.

Bathroom pipes cause worse smell when they are clogged and need more efforts for complete cleaning. Soap made of fat and oil is the primary reason behind it. Calcium and fatty ingredients of soap affect water passage and stay deposited on water pipes. Then the question arises, How to unclog a grease clogged drain?

Moreover, pipes through which urine passes are also prone to clogging. Urine contains calcium due to which drainage pipes may come across corrosion; corrosion can also occur due to other reasons. When this calcium mixes with fat from other sources, it gets solidified and starts depositing on drain pipes. Since the problem is unnoticeable in the beginning, thus people get to know only when overflow occurs, or pain increases.

Prevention from Grease Clogging:

Cleaning of grease clogged drain pipes is a difficult task. Thus preventive measures should be taken into account. Oil and grease present in different items get solidified near water pipes. Therefore it can be poured down on the sink or another place and left until it solidifies after water is passed through. Once it is in solid form, it can be collected in a closed bowl or sealed jar and thrown in the trash bin.

It is not necessary to throw away collected solid grease. It is useful for various other purposes and can be brought into use. Rusted door hinges, nut and bolt, vehicle wheels and machine parts require oil or grease from time to time for proper working. You can use this collected grease and apply it on required joints after grease is liquefied through heating.

Regular inspection of drainage pipes also ensures that any potential threat is detected and resolved before it can cause severe problems. If proper precautions are brought into practice, you will be saved from the question, How to unclog a grease clogged drain?

Methods of How to unclog a grease clogged drain:

Clogged drains are often easy to clean and can be cleared by pouring hot water in clogged pipes. But the same is not the case with grease closed drain, and you need to use other effective methods to counter the problem.

·      Professional Services:

Many professional individuals and companies are providing a solution for How to unclog a grease clogged drain. Their plumbing services are highly efficient, and they are capable of cleaning drain pipes blocked due to any reason. They run a thorough inspection to determine the reason behind the issue and then resolve the problem through suitable methods. Their fee depends upon the quality of service. You can check with multiple plumbers in your area to choose the right one.

·      Caustic Cleaner:

Acidic cleaners can be purchased from shops if you want to find the solution of how to unclog a grease clogged drain. Take a large amount of concentrated caustic cleaner and pour it into the targeted pipe. Since the line is blocked, the solution will not flow down. Leave it for almost an hour. However, if blocking is extreme, then you may have to leave it overnight for positive results.

The acidic cleaner will react with grease and attempt to remove it from the pipe walls. After the deposited fat is liquefied, wash the pipe with hot soapy water. If this solution is unable to pass through the drainpipe, you can use an air compressor so that water can pass through it. Keep the compressor turned on until blockage is cleared and water starts flowing down the pipe with ease.

·      Salt:

If you are looking for an answer to How to unclog a grease clogged drain, then salt can help to deal with the issue. Salt is a useful mineral for cleaning gutters clogged with grease and oil. Salt can be added to your daily routine for cleaning sinks and washbasins in kitchen and other places.

Take regular water in a bowl and mix salt in it. Take large enough quantity of salt such that the appearance of water changes and it gets cloudy. Pour this mixture directly into the clogged drain pipe and let it stay there for around ten to fifteen minutes. After the salt has settled down, wash it with clean water. It will pass through the pipe and will take away grease and oil that was the reason behind clogging.

·      Enzyme Cleaner:

Biological enzyme cleaner is an effective way of dealing with How to unclog a grease clogged drain. Whether the blocked pipe is present in the kitchen, toilet or at any other place, this solution is capable of efficiently cleaning it. These can be purchased from cleaning shops in a package, can be used as per instructions mentioned on the packing. These can also be used as a preventive method, so greasy materials do not stick to the sides of pipes in the first place.

·       Liquid Detergent:

A standard method of providing the solution to How to unclog a grease clogged drain is the use of liquid detergent. This solution is not extremely powerful due to which required results may not be obtained in the very first attempt. The process needs to be repeated multiple times until the clogged drain pipe gets utterly free from grease particles.

Buy a regular hand wash or dishwashing detergent from the market. Take almost two litres of water in a large pot and heat it until it is boiled. Add some quantity of detergent to this boiling water and then slowly pour the mixture down the blocked drain. Now rinse the pipe with hot water. Repeat the process until the whole amount of fat, grease, oil and grit is removed.

·      Home Remedies:

You can cut down the cost of expensive drain cleaners by using some home remedies that can clean off excess deposited grease, fats and oil. Not only are these homemade solutions effective and cost-efficient, but can also keep your home drainage pipes safe from potential damages of chemicals. These solutions can be easily made at home using commonly found ingredients and provide an answer of how to unclog a grease clogged drain.

·       Vinegar and Water:

Boil water in a pot and combine 1 part of Vinegar with one piece of this boiling water. Pour this mixture down the clogged drain and leave it for a few minutes. Hot water will melt down the grease sticking to the sides of the pipe while Vinegar will eat it up. Now pour down the rest of the hot water through the blocked tube. It will clean the remaining grease and will make the drainage pipe clear again.

·       Vinegar and Baking Soda:

Use Vinegar and baking soda as the solution of how to unclog a grease clogged drain. Take half cup of baking soda and sprinkle it inside the pipe, as far down as you can. Take half quantity of Vinegar and pour it down as well. The solution will produce bubbles and fizzing action. Close it with the help of a cover so that the reaction is more effective on the blocked pipe. After the reaction successfully liquidities grease, pour some more of Vinegar. Let it stay for almost an hour and then wash it with hot water.

Baking soda and vinegar home remedy is also useful for using blocked toilets. However, the difference is that there is no need to wait for a fizzing reaction. Put half cup baking soda along with its half amount of Vinegar. Immediately flush so that the solution can pass through the blocked area. Add some more amount of Vinegar after waiting for a few minutes. Wait for half an hour or some more and then flush the toilet again to clean blocked pipe.

·       Alka-Seltzer:

Another solution of how to unclog a grease clogged drain is to use Alka-Seltzer. Please take a few tablets of Alka-Seltzer and put them inside fat clogged drain pipe. It will also remove oil and grease through fizzing reaction, but it is not highly reactive or powerful. Therefore the desired results may be obtained in a few attempts. It is suitable for cleaning oil, fats and grease off cookware including teapot, microwave dish and plates that are the primary sources for petroleum clogging in drainage pipes.

·      Plunger:

The plunger is usually used for sucking off food particles that are blocking the water path inside the pipe and is not considered a solution of how to unclog a grease clogged drain. However, it can also be used to remove large fat particles.

Fill up half of the sink with clean water and plunge your sink for long. Then wash the drain pipe using clean water. It will remove chunks of food items that may lead to pipe blockage. Moreover, a little quantity of grease, oil and fat particles can also be removed this way.

·      Bleach:

After you have found the answer of how to unclog a grease clogged drain, another problem is awaiting you. Drain pipes blocked due to grease, fat and oil produce an annoying smell that stays in the air for a long time even after the blockage is cleared. To get rid of this horrible smell, you may use Air freshener and other market products. However, this will be costly and can be replaced with a cost-effective homemade solution.

Boil some water and take it in a bowl after it becomes boiling. Combine 1 part of hot water with an equal quantity of bleach. Pour this mixture down the drain. After it has passed through, make another mixture of warm water and soap. Pour it too down the blocked pipe. It will take the smell away and refresh the air of the kitchen or other rooms where the drain pipe was blocked previously.

Cleaning clogged drain pipes is a task that no one likes to do. But if the blocked tube is not cleaned readily, its impacts will be more severe. Grease and oily substances rarely cause such blockage, but the effects of these occurrences are severe. It is quite convenient to find the answers of how to unclog a grease clogged drain. With the help of specific easy yet effective approaches, it is possible to keep the house clean from unwanted problems of flooding and water overflow.