Don’t Let the Roast of Christmas Clog Your Drain

A Christmas dinner spent around the table with friends and family is festive and warm: meals of mouthwatering turkey with stuffing, buttery mashed potatoes, thick gravy, and tangy cranberry sauce - the most wonderful time of the year, indeed!

However, a clogged kitchen drain can make the holidays much less merry due to FOG (Fats, Oil and Grease), which are by-products of cooking.

Read on to learn about FOG and how to keep your drains and toilets healthy – and your wallet fuller! – this holiday season.

Avoid a plumbing emergency! Click to today & get $100 off a drain inspection.

What foods make FOG (Fats, Oil and Grease)?

Foods that make FOG include gravies, sauces, meat fats, cooking and olive oils, butter, margarine, lard, shortening, salad dressings, milk, cream, and marinades.

Why should I worry about FOG (Fats, Oil and Grease)?

FOG has a serious impact on your home and environment, especially when it is poured down your drain, sink or toilet.

FOG cools and clogs the pipes that take the wastewater from your home to the treatment plant; eventually, this could lead to a very expensive visit from the plumber.

What happens when my pipes get clogged by FOG (Fats, Oil and Grease)?

When your pipes get clogged by FOG, this can cause untreated sewage to back up and flood your basement.

It could also flood your neighbour’s basement or back up onto streets and surrounding areas, polluting nature around you.

This is smelly, unsightly, costly to fix—and not great to deal with when entertaining guests this holiday season.

What can I do to prevent FOG and organic waste from going down the drain?

Simply dispose of fats, oil, grease, and organic waste by placing them in your green bin.

Wait for fats, oil, and grease to harden before washing dirty pots, pans, and dishes.

Do not let dirty dishes soak in the sink or this could cause drain problems! Wipe the FOG away with a paper towel or simply scrape it into your green bin before doing the dishes.

If you your FOG is in liquid form, allow it to cool and then pour the liquid into your green bin. Some oils that won’t solidify can be recycled into biodiesel at your local waste depot.

I have a garbage disposal. What organic waste should I avoid putting down there?

Put leftovers in the organic bin, not down the drain.

Avoid putting any of the following into your garbage disposal, and you may save yourself a visit from the plumber:

Turkey bones
Poultry skins
Peels from potatoes or carrots
Rice
Pasta
Bread
Eggshells
Celery or tough vegetables
Coffee grinds and corn husks.

Most food waste can go into your green bin.

I don’t want a backed-up drain or toilet during the holidays! What can I do now?

We are currently offering $100 off a drain inspection, usually priced at $249.99. It is better to be proactive now than wait for a plumbing emergency to strike while you’re entertaining this Christmas season.

Avoid a plumbing emergency! Click to today & get $100 off a drain inspection.

What does your drain inspection check for?

A thorough drain inspection from our plumbing pros checks for common but costly pipe problems such as: broken sewer lines, sewer blockages, tree roots in sewer lines, older sewer systems and signs of sewer backup.

Any plumbing problems we find now can be dealt with before they become a much more expensive, time-consuming headache this Christmas.

I have a clogged drain or blocked toilet, can you help me?

Absolutely! now and we will be happy to help fix your plumbing issue.

My pipes are temperamental, I don’t know how well my toilets will handle guests this Christmas!

It is better to be proactive and have your drains inspected now, before guests come to your home for the holidays. Backed up toilets are an embarrassment and can fill your home with odours. More importantly, an out of service toilet means you are ill-prepared to handle your guests’ needs.