Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

Protect A College Student's Drain From Grease Issues

17 July 2019

Herbert Chambers

When a college student moves out of the house for the first time, they're going to have to learn a lot of new things that they wouldn't have had to experience otherwise. For example, they're going to have to learn how to make money, ways to save it, how to fix issues in the home, and how to cook for themselves. And they also need to know not to pour grease down their drain after cooking and how to deal with the grease and any clogs that it may cause.

College Students May Not Understand the Dangers of Grease

When college students start out cooking for the first time in their new home, they're likely to turn to fairly simple meals that they can more easily prepare. For example, hamburgers fried on a pan are very easy to make, and they can transition this meal to other cooking concepts, such as tacos and even spaghetti.

Unfortunately, they may not understand that pouring grease down their drain is a bad idea and can cause issues with their dorm's drains. For example, the grease may harden as it cools and coat the sides of their pipes. This can create very large clogs that require professional drain cleaners to manage.

Prevention Is Wise

The best way to avoid this problem is to teach your college student to pour their grease into a small jar when they are done cooking. They must wait for the grease to cool down a little – but not enough to solidify – so that they can put it in a safe glass jar. Once the jar is full, they can throw it away to keep their sink free from grease problems.

They can also take a different approach by waiting for the grease to fully dry and then wiping it off the pan surface with a paper towel. This approach creates less of an eyesore – as grease jars may be unattractive to some people – but it also wastes a lot of paper. When going this approach, make sure that the towels are wrapped up in plastic bags to avoid any fire risk.

If, for any reason, they pour enough grease down the drain to cause an issue, it is important to reach out to drain cleaners right away to see what can be done. These professionals will come to a home and figure out how to clean the drains. Although this may cost the college student some of their precious funds, it is a wise step, because otherwise, they'll be stuck with a clog that they can't remove.

For more tips, work with local drain cleaning services. 

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