What is FOG?

FOG stands for fats, oils, and greases—those unwanted substances that often cause serious damage to your plumbing system. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how damaging FOG can be to their plumbing systems, often washing these fats, oils, and greases right down their drains every day. If you are dealing with serious drainage problems in your home, especially your kitchen, you may have a FOG issue. FOG can do more than just damage your plumbing system. These substances can be harmful to our environment! We provide more insight on FOG and how to protect your home below.

Where Does FOG Come From?

As a natural by-product of cooking, fats, oils, and greases may go unnoticed in the kitchen. FOG is found in all types of food and cooking ingredients, from butter and eggs to dressings, cooking oils, food scraps, and more. Even if you are diligent to avoid pouring leftover grease or cooking oil directly down your drain, your dishes could have FOG covering them. Every time you wash the utensils you used to cook and eat, you could also be sending FOG down your drain. These fats, oils, and greases can build up over time as you run them through your garburator and down your drains.

The Effect of FOG on Your Plumbing

Just like cholesterol can clog up your arteries in the body, FOG buildup can result in serious clogs in your pipes and even your sewer system. Fats, oils, and greases are insoluble in water and dish soaps do nothing to them. As FOG cools down as it runs through your pipes, it will float to the top and start to solidify on your pipes. FOG can cause clogs and require your pipes to be cleaned more regularly or even replaced sooner than you normally would need.

Eliminating FOG in Your Home Pipes

Stick to the following tips to keep your home free from FOG:

• Caution: Don’t pour fats, oils, or greases down the drain. Your garburator is not build to handle FOG. Instead, use a sink strainer so that you can dispose of food carrying FOG in the trash rather than.
• Contain: Put your bacon grease and meat drippings in containers and allow them to harden. You can then throw the congealed FOG away in the garbage so that nothing goes down your drain.
• Pre-clean: Do your best to thoroughly clean your plates or utensils used to cook / eat food items with FOG on them. You can even wipe down plates or bowels with a paper towel to get sticky FOG off before washing it in the sink or putting it in the dishwasher.
• Dispose and recycle: You can get rid of FOG in composting bins or recycling drop-offs, as they can be turned into biofuels or even re-used as gardening compost for your own home. If you aren’t sure about local regulations, check with your city to find out about waste disposal programs.

Preventing FOG buildup can do more than just protect your home pipes—it can protect your home environment as well and prevent sewage from overflowing and contaminating waterways. Make sure you take the necessary steps to keep your home free from FOG!

Need a drain cleaning? Tired of dealing with slowed drains due to FOG? Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing today.