How Do You Unclog A Kitchen Sink That's Been Clogged With Bacon Grease?
If you regularly pour bacon grease down your kitchen sink, you'll eventually cause a clog. All fats can solidify on the sides of your pipes and cause your pipes to clog, but bacon grease is one of the worst offenders due to the fact that it solidifies at room temperature. If your kitchen sink isn't draining normally, and you think that bacon grease may be the cause, read on to find out how you can remove the clog.
1. Check the P-Trap for the Grease Clog
The P-trap that's underneath of your sink is designed to remain filled with water, and the water acts as a barrier that prevents sewer gases from coming back up through your sewer line and wafting out of your sink. Since the P-trap collects water, it can collect bacon grease as well. This makes it a common location for grease clogs, so you should check your kitchen sink's P-trap first.
You'll need to place a bucket underneath your P-trap to catch any water that comes out of the pipe. The P-trap runs from your sink drain or garbage disposal to your sewer line, and you'll notice that there are connectors on both ends. You can unscrew these connectors by hand in order to remove the P-trap.
Once you've removed the P-trap, check it for any signs of a grease clog. If your bacon grease clog is in the P-trap, use a wire brush or similar tool to scrape off the buildup. Put all of the congealed bacon grease into the trash when you're done, and then reattach the P-trap by screwing it back in to your kitchen sink and sewer line.
2. Try to Remove the Grease Clog With a Drain Auger
If your bacon grease clog isn't in the P-trap, it's further down your sewer line. The best way to remove it is to use a drain auger. You can buy or rent one from a home improvement store. Drain augers have a textured bit on the end that allows them to scrape grease buildup off of pipe walls.
Feed the drain auger into the sewer line underneath of your kitchen sink. If you have a manual drain auger, you'll need to rotate the crank in order to advance it further down the sewer line. If you have an electric one, hold down the button that turns the motor on.
When you feel resistance on the pipe auger, you've likely encountered your bacon grease clog. In order to break up the clog, you'll need to repeatedly advance and reverse the pipe auger in the pipe. The bit on the end of the auger will slowly scrape away grease.
You can make your pipe auger more effective by pouring warm water mixed with dish soap into the sewer line. Dish soap helps break up the grease while you're trying to scrape it away with the pipe auger, and the water will flush the grease away.
3. Call a Professional Drain Cleaning Service for Hydro-Jetting
If you can't remove your bacon grease clog using a pipe auger, you'll probably need to hydro-jet your sewer line. Hydro-jetting forces water through your sewer line at extremely high pressures, which is very effective at breaking up grease clogs. The pressurized water will rapidly cut through your bacon grease clog and force it out of your sewer line.
Find a drain cleaning service in your area that offers hydro-jetting, and have them come out to hydro-jet your home's sewer line. Your bacon grease clog, along with anything else that may be clogging your sewer line like paper or food waste, will be quickly eliminated.