It happens in every home — someone pours something that they shouldn’t have down the sink. At best, there is a temporary but very inconvenient clog. At worst, the kitchen sink stays clogged, and it’s time to contact a Sarasota plumber.
Sarasota residents hoping to avoid messy clogs and emergency plumbing calls should check out this list of three things that should never be put down the kitchen sink.
Grease: Not Slippery When Wet
Kitchen grease is perhaps the worst thing to wash down the kitchen sink. If it’s too hot, it will melt PVC pipes. It doesn’t take long to cool, but when it does, it solidifies and blocks water flow.
To compound matters, cold grease traps food debris, making a bad problem worse. If too much congealed grease and food get stuck in kitchen pipes, even boiling water won’t clear the way.
And it’s more than just the obvious culprit: fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are serious public problems in Sarasota County. Congealed FOG gathers more mass in sewer pipes to create obstructions that block sewer drains, causing blackwater backups that jeopardize public health and the environment.
Common FOG sources:
- Cooking oil, fats, butter, margarine, and shortening
- Milk, cheese, cream, and yogurt
- Salad dressings, gravies, and sauces
- Food scraps, meats, and baked goods
Pouring grease down the kitchen sink is a sure way to need plumbing services in Sarasota.
Fibrous Vegetables: All Tied Up
No responsible homeowner intentionally puts string, twine, or rope down their sink. But that’s almost exactly what they are doing when they put stringy, fibrous vegetables down the drain:
- Celery
- Rhubarb
- Spaghetti squash
- Pumpkin
- Potato peels
- Corn husks
- Artichoke hearts
- Asparagus
These “strings” tangle into large obstructive balls that get stuck and trap even more food, grease, and debris. And unlike some other clog sources, fibrous vegetables don’t dissolve or even significantly soften in hot water.
It doesn’t even matter if there is a garbage disposal under the sink. For example, tough celery strands can wrap around the blades of the unit, causing the motor to seize up and possibly burn out.
Fibrous clogs are extremely difficult to clear and will almost always require the professional services of a plumbing company in Sarasota.
Harsh Chemicals: Corrosion, Not Clearance
Plumbing aisles are full of “guaranteed” chemical solutions for clogged kitchen drains like Liquid Plumber, Drano, etc.
These last-resort remedies are extremely dangerous, and their labels warn of severe chemical burns if any of the liquid were to touch bare skin. That explains the problem — these chemicals are extraordinarily harsh on both plastic and metal pipes.
Moreover, the use of drain cleaners can cause chemical damage to garbage disposals, voiding the manufacturer’s warranty.
A clogged drain, corroded pipes, a damaged garbage disposal…sounds like the prelude to a call to a 24-hour plumber in Sarasota, FL.
Getting Unstuck
Regular kitchen sink clogs require a trusted and reliable plumber in Sarasota. They can handle the emergency and advise how to avoid the problem in the future. Contact a trusted plumbing professional to get help for a clogged kitchen sink or for more information about other plumbing problems.
