Clogged Drain

Holiday Leftovers and Clogging Drains

Are you enjoying your holiday leftovers? Or maybe you’re ready to clean out your refrigerator?Hopefully you don’t have a clogged drain.  Many people throw holiday food down the drain as a part of their cooking and cleaning.  However, these foods are often not what the disposal was meant for.  They can often clog the disposal.  Or, they can make it through the disposal only to clog the pipes as they cool and collect.  Here are some holiday foods you should NEVER put down the garbage disposal or send into the plumbing system.

Never put bones, skin, grease, potatoes, pasta or rice into your garbage disposal, nor stringy types of food like celery or carrot peelings.

Grease is one that actually gets past the garbage disposal just fine.  However, as it cools in your pipes it because hard a like the wax from a candle.  That hard oil freezes in the pipes and clogs them.  It’s not uncommon for a plumber to be needed to unclog the pipes.  So before you throw that cooking oil down the sink let it cool in the pan.  Then simply throw away the hardened grease.

As for the other foods we mentioned, the trick is not to assume the disposal is a fool proof eating monster.  The trick is to remember not to put too much of anything down at one time. Only put in small amounts at a time and with a LOT of water in between. So for example, don’t dump the whole meal down at once.  Dump a little and add water, and dump a little and add water.  Make sure the water is running the entire time you’re dumping as well.  This is the best way to make sure you don’t get a clogged drain.

If you need to have your garbage disposal inspected or serviced, contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, the Punctual Plumber. 602-903-1762