Squeaky drain gets the grease

April 4, 2010 11:13 PM

Is there anything I can do to remedy a whole lot of cooking oil (...a whole lot) being poured down the drain?

I know, I know: don't pour fats and oils down the drain. I had some friends over for falafel tonight. One of them was really nice and helped clean up, but poured the entire volume of canola oil we used to make the falafel down the drain by accident.

Is there anything I can do to remedy this beyond feeling kind of stupid and going out for all falafel in the future? All the googlin' I've done has just turned up warnings not to do it. Is a chaser of lots of hot water and soap as silly as it sounds to me?

Thanks!

posted by beepbeepboopboop to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

I've always understood the problem to be pouring fat down the drain which then cools and solidifies into an unassailable plug. Canola's liquid at room temperatures, so I don't think it would clog your drain; is that what you're worried about? Flushing it with a bit of hot soapy water seems like it couldn't hurt and could make sure there isn't some oil in your trap going rancid.

I suppose the wastewater treatment folks would prefer you not make a habit of pouring gallons of oil down the drain.
posted by hattifattener at 11:20 PM on April 4, 2010

Hot water and soap is fine. Frying oil is liquid, and unless you have some other sort of clog down there, it shouldn't cause a problem.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 11:21 PM on April 4, 2010

You're not supposed to pour cooking oil down the drain? What the hell do you do with it, then? I mean, bacon fat or butter, yeah, I get that; it'll just solidify into gunk in your drain.

I always poured my cooking oil down the drain. In fact, the main thing I fried was falafel. I usually only dumped a cup or two of oil at a time, though. So if you dumped a gallon, maybe it's different.

I've only stopped now because I'm on a septic tank, and I'm constantly paranoid that I'm going to kill the little critters in it. Well, and now I can just dump it outside.
posted by Netzapper at 11:28 PM on April 4, 2010

Best answer: As has been said, it is fat that is the real evil in drains, but oils will grab little bits of food (starches) and cling. It could turn into a problem. To get rid of a lot of oil use lots of soap. Just straight from the bottle down the drain. Then flush with water, but remember oil floats on water, so do it slowly, and repeat a couple of times. If you do get a clog, don't use hot water, why melt the thing and make it float better?
posted by Some1 at 11:54 PM on April 4, 2010

Best answer: What the hell do you do with it, then?

You're supposed to pour it into a large plastic jug or other airtight container, which you keep around under your sink or whatever until it's full at which point you take it to your local municipal drop-off location.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:13 AM on April 5, 2010 [7 favorites]

Best answer: -explanation by a plumbing company
-explanation by the city of Austin, TX
posted by polymodus at 1:58 AM on April 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

As far as I know the main problem is that the oil needs to be removed from the waste water later on to be purified again and this is a tedious process. So no problem for you, but for the environment.
posted by oxit at 2:00 AM on April 5, 2010

You're not supposed to pour cooking oil down the drain? What the hell do you do with it, then?

Throw it in a big jar and put it in the refrigerator to reuse.

That's where restaurant deliciousness comes from. Think fries fried in leftover falafel oil, or onion rings fried in oil used to fry chicken.

When it gets too dark (unstable) or otherwise weird I would, yes, pour it down the drain accompanied by a bunch of hot water. If I had a nice coffee can around or something I'd pour it in that and put it in the trash. At any rate, there would be less of it, because you'd use a couple tablespoons at a time to fry a steak or whatever else as well.

I guess the rest of the world is sealing it in kegs and dropping it at the city dump or whatever. I have never met anyone who has mentioned doing this, but they in theory they exist.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:35 AM on April 5, 2010

Plenty of water down the drain, move it into the main sewer and out of your smaller pipes - have some long hot showers.

Don't sweat it - it was an accident - at least you acknowledge that it was a mistake, lots of people don't give it a second thought.
posted by a non e mouse at 3:07 AM on April 5, 2010

Best answer: A single mistake is understandable, and I hope it doesn't cause any plumbing trouble, but it's surprising to see people here admit to making a habit of putting oil down the drain, instead of into the trash where it belongs. Stop doing that! All you have to do is pour it into an empty tin can or something, after it cools, and put it in with the rest of your trash to be picked up.
posted by Ery at 4:57 AM on April 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

I'm sure some bio-diesel people would be willing to pick up a leftover jug of oil, try posting it on freecycle. Or if you live close to a restaurant just pour it in their waste-oil bin. I've also poured it on my compost heap without noticeable issues.

If you haven't yet flushed any water down the drain, you could try cleaning the p-trap and at least keep whatever oil is left there from going into the system.
posted by glip at 5:49 AM on April 5, 2010

Clogged sink drain(s) were a constant problem at my father-in-law's house. Neither he nor his caregivers scraped congealed fat from skillets and pots before washing. I agree that hot water and soap will dissolve fat, but consider these pointers:

Hot water from the faucet will not get the job done and tons of water will be wasted. Boil water on stove top in large pots/kettles, covered. While waiting, add small amount of detergent directly into the drain/sink. (NOTE: At outset, if greasy water is standing in the sink, dip it out.) When water boils, pour it immediately into the sink. CAUTION: Steam rising off boiling water can result in severe burns; be careful when pouring any hot liquid. If at first the boiling water stands in the sink, cover it with heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent heat from escaping. Refill the pots with fresh water and repeat process numerous times until fat is dissolved and water flows unimpeded through drain. With persistence, the boiling water will do the trick, if indeed it is congealed fat that has caused the clogging.
posted by jandenpie at 11:39 AM on April 5, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your responses. My plumbing seems okay so far, but I'm keeping a wary eye out for any trouble.
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 1:29 PM on April 8, 2010