Don’t Let Your Holiday Cooking Clog the Drain

Plumb Works Inc • Nov 18, 2017

If you’re like most of us, the holiday season at your house is full of delicious smells and family-style feasts. You know your family’s favorite holiday recipes, but do you know what not to put down the drain this time of year?

Plumb Works does! We’ve been called out to perform all too many emergency drain repairs on clogs that were entirely preventable. Here’s what we DON’T want you to put down your drain this year.

Cooking Oil

Good holiday food is greasy holiday food. Resist the urge to pour those turkey drippings or melted lamb fat down the drain! As it congeals, oil and fat can harden within your pipes making it impossible for water to flow through. (Another tip: Run your garbage disposal with COLD water, not HOT, because any congealed oil will simply be chopped up and flushed down rather than melted and re-cooled within your pipes.)

holiday drain issues

Skin
If you didn’t polish off the last of the chicken or turkey skin, don’t throw in down the disposal. Chewy skin can actually clog the drain.


Peels
You’ll probably be peeling a lot of onions, carrots, potatoes and other veggies as you cook for the big brood. Don’t drop papery or stringy skins down the disposal as they can become tangled around the blades. They’re also likely to make a ‘nest’ within your pipes!


Bones
Don’t put bones in your drain! Large bones will simply get stuck in the pipes and small bones – even if the disposal is able to chop them up – can damage the sensitive components inside. Just throw your bones in the trash (along with any attached fat or skin!)


Remember that your drains can become overworked, too. Always allow your garbage disposal to “catch up” after a particularly heavy load of refuse and never pour anything down your drain that could expand or harden over time.


Having a drain emergency? Plumb Works is open!
Give our
emergency plumbing specialists a call to get fixed right up before Aunt Edna arrives.

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