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Beware of FOG

MasterPlumber — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 19:55:30 +0000

Beware of FOG

Happy Monday everyone!

This week we are going to talk about avoiding FOG.

Not fog, rather FOG: Fats, oils, and grease.

These buggers are what cause the majority of drain cleaning issues in your kitchen sink.

We’re highlighting a great blog produced by The Trusted Plumber, out of Phoenix, AZ. To read the original article in it’s entirety please click here.

Hope you enjoy!

*Beware of FOG! Fats, Oils, and Grease vs. Your Kitchen Plumbing

December 10th, 2014

Every home system has small enemies that can wreak havoc on the system. For your heating and cooling systems, it’s dust and dirt; for your kitchen plumbing system, it’s FOG: fats, oil and grease. Keeping these small enemies at bay isn’t difficult, but it does take diligence.

When it comes to your plumbing, staying ahead of FOG can significantly reduce the amount of clogs you experience and keep your kitchen plumbing in Scottsdale, AZ healthy. So what happens when oil, grease and/or fat heads down your drain? Let’s take a look.

FOG: Sticky Stuff

The main problem with FOG materials is that they cling very stubbornly to the inside of your piping. You may think that adding hot water to your piping would remove this; unfortunately, this is not the case. When you run hot water into your piping, it temporarily liquefies the FOG materials; once the water cools, the FOG solidifies again, and does so even further down your pipes. Many people also think that garbage disposals can get rid of FOG; again, this is not true. All a garbage disposal does to FOG materials is make them smaller. As more and more FOG heads down your pipes, the bigger the FOG build-up becomes. Eventually the FOG can restrict your water flow, creating slow drains, and can also cause a clog to develop. The best way to avoid problems with FOG is to make sure they don’t go down your drain.

Ways to Avoid FOG in Your Drains

Here are some suggestions on how to avoid problems in your plumbing from FOG:

Scraping – make sure all dinnerware and cookware is thoroughly scraped of food, dressings and condiments before rinsing them off in your sink.

Use a strainer – place a strainer in your sink (if it doesn’t already have one) and empty it after use.

Don’t ever pour cooking grease down your drain – all cooking grease should be disposed of properly. Wait until the grease is room temperature, then drain all grease into an empty can or jar and throw away immediately.

Don’t wash mayonnaise or salad dressings down your drain – scrape all containers containing these kinds of condiments, and if needed, wipe them with a paper towel before rinsing them to reduce the amount of fat and oil that can enter your drain.

*The Trusted Plumber. “Beware of FOG: Fats, Oils, and Grease vs. Your Kitchen’s Plumbing.” The Trusted Plumber Blog. Weblog post. 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.

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Grease: Your Drain’s Worst Enemy

MasterPlumber — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 19:26:58 +0000

Grease: Your Drain’s Worst Enemy

Thanksgiving is around the corner, which offers us this week’s blog topic: grease in your drains. It’s important that you remember after that big meal full of sleep inducing turkey, not to pour grease and food scraps down your drain. Most people are under the impression that you can put some food in your garbage disposal, I mean, that’s why it’s there right? Wrong! Even though your garbage disposal may be able to handle small, non-fibrous food scraps, your drains are not designed to. Food waste, grease, and debris builds up in your drain pipes and causes blockages.

One thing worse than grease: soluble fiber!

The best way to avoid this problem is to ALWAYS brush all of your food scraps into the garbage before you wash your dishes. This will ensure you keep your drains clear and clog free and your garbage disposal free of performance reducing grease. In order to properly dispose of grease and oils, especially if using a turkey fryer, follow these steps:

Once cooled, pour cooking oil and grease into a non-recyclable container; add kitty litter or coffee grounds, seal the container, and place in the trash.
Scrape food scraps from dishes into trash. Minimize the use of your garbage disposal because even cooked foods contain oil and grease that can clog sewer lines.
Remove oil and grease from dishes, pots, and pans with a paper towel or napkin.
Pre-wash dishes, pans, and pots with cold water before putting them in the dish washer. Hot water does not remove oil or grease but rather liquifies them. Once they cool they return to solids and can clog the sewer lines.

For additional information about how to care for your drains in a safe, natural way, please take a look at this article from our friends at Networx.com:

http://www.networx.com/article/care-for-your-drain-the-natural-way

Hope you enjoyed the blog. If you have any questions or comment please leave them in the comment section below or call us at 303-898-0851. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Google+.

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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Dishwasher Flooding Repair DIY

MasterPlumber — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:38:31 +0000

Dishwasher Flooding Repair DIY

A common problem the folks at MP run into with their customers is dishwasher flooding. Luckily, just last week, we came across a great blog written by Chris Barnes of the Huffington Post about some DIY tips for checking your dishwasher before you call out a plumber. And since we’re in the business of trying to save you money, we’d like to pass on the info. Thanks for the great write-up Chris!

You can find the link to the article here.

Dishwasher Flood Damage

Some Main Takeaways

If you find your dishwasher flooding:

First things first – unplug the dishwasher or turn off the circuit at the breaker box
Remove all the dish racks and check the drain grate on the floor of the machine – food and debris can clog this and cause flooding
If the water doesn’t drain after clearing the drain grate check the hose running from the machine and see if there’s a clog
Remove the hose connection from under the sink
Grab a bucket and remove some of the water from the washing machine to make it easier to pull the washer out (you’ll need to)
Run some water from your sink into the dishwasher hose to see if the line clears
Re-assemble and see if it drains properly – if yes then hooray! – if not then give us a call and we’ll see what we can do, or refer you to someone who can help!

Thanks for your time folks! As always drop any questions, comments, or suggestions below. Remember, the Proof is in the Plumbing!

Barnes, Chris. “Dishwasher Flooding Repair You Can Try Before Calling A Plumber.” Huffington Post. The Blog. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.

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Things That Shouldn’t Go In Your Drain

MasterPlumber — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:36:19 +0000

Things That Shouldn’t Go In Your Drain

So after the last couple of weeks MP has decided to start a blog series called “Things That Shouldn’t Go In Your Drain.” Very simply, we are going to show you what some of our customers have mistakenly put down their drains that have had unfortunate (and sometimes expensive) results. Of course to save them from any sort of embarrassment we are going to keep their names and locations completely anonymous. I mean, let’s be real, we’ve all done really silly things! Sometimes you just don’t fully think before you act, but if it can help someone else not make that mistake in the future, it’s a good thing. If our readers out there have made some of these mistakes as well and want us to make a blog about their misadventure, send your stories and pictures to [email protected].

So MP was called out last week to a loyal customers house because she said she had a clog in her kitchen sink. She tried using a store bought liquid clog remover (which any plumbing pro will tell you is a big no-no), but it didn’t solve the problem. So we trucked on over to her house and this is what we found when we got there:

Yikes! That’s just what was floating in the sink! Any guess what that stuff is? Well if you followed us on Facebook you’d know, believe it or not, that it’s an over the counter dietary fiber supplement. Yep, that’s right. This is what happens when you pour almost a pound of soluble fiber down your sink!

So we tried to run our high pressure jetter machine (which runs at 1500 psi!) through the drain in order to break up this blockage, but it just couldn’t cut through it. So we had to go after it the old fashioned way, by disassembling the pipes under the sink. This is where it gets really fun:

Yep, solid all the way though. It’s no wonder the jetter couldn’t break it up, this stuff was the consistency of rubber! Don’t believe me? Watch the video.

Now, I know what you may be thinking: “If that’s what happens when fiber supplements get wet, why would I ever put that in my body?” Well, it just so happens that our Marketing Director Chris has a degree in Human Nutrition and he can tell you that when used in recommended dosages soluble fiber is completely safe and very beneficial. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do; draws water into your digestive tract in order to promote regularity. But if you were to drink almost a pound of it, you’d most likely end up in the hospital, so don’t!

That’s all we have for today. Hope you enjoyed the blog. Leave your comments below and as always we’re open for suggestions on future topics!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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