Why this matters
Most kitchen drain clogs start with fat. Bacon drippings, butter, cooking oil and the film on a roasting pan all wash down easily when hot, but they cool and cling to the inside of the pipe within a few metres. Food particles stick to that coating, and over months the pipe narrows until water backs up into the sink.
Grease also travels further than the kitchen. In municipal sewers it combines with wipes and other debris into large masses that cities spend considerable effort removing. York Region and Markham both encourage residents to keep fats, oils and grease out of drains for exactly this reason.
Fats, oils and what to bin instead
| Item | Where it should go |
|---|---|
| Cooled cooking grease and fat | Scraped into the green bin, or into a container and then the green bin |
| Small amounts of oil on plates | Wiped with a paper towel, which then goes in the green bin |
| Larger amounts of cooking oil | Check Markham's waste guidance for current disposal options |
| Coffee grounds, eggshells, rice, pasta | Green bin, not the drain or disposer |
Gear past the DIY stage
- Quarter-inch hand auger for basins and tubs.
- Drum machine with cutting and bulb heads.
- Slip-joint pliers and a fresh trap washer set.
- Drop sheet, bucket and nitrile gloves.
Step by step
- Let pans cool, then scrape fat into a container or the green bin.
- Blot oily plates with kitchen paper first.
- Use a sink strainer to catch food particles.
- Run cold water when using a disposer; cold keeps fats solid so they are carried away rather than smeared.
- Once a month, check the trap under the sink for build-up.
- Avoid chemical drain openers, which can damage older pipes and do not remove the cause.
If you do run hot water down the sink, do it after the dishes, not as a cure. A kettle of boiling water can soften a fresh grease film but will not clear a set clog further down the line.
Handing it over to us
Call if the sink drains slowly after you have cleaned the trap, if the dishwasher backs into the sink, or if more than one fixture is slow. Kitchen clogs that keep returning are often deeper in the line, and clearing them properly needs a machine rather than a plunger. We will also tell you what we found in the line, so you know whether grease, food or something else was the real culprit.
Water heaters have a scale problem rather than a grease one; if you have a tankless unit, our page on tankless water heater descaling covers that maintenance. Older kitchens in neighbourhoods such as Raymerville sometimes have narrow drain arms that clog more easily, and a running toilet is another common nuisance worth knowing about; see diagnosing a running toilet.
Markham note: village-core houses tend to hide cast iron and galvanized behind plaster, while Cornell and Box Grove builds run PEX to a manifold. We ask the year your house was built so the right fittings ride along on the truck.
Straight from the phone log
Can I pour grease down the drain with hot water?
No. Hot water carries grease a little further, where it cools and sticks anyway. Scrape it into the green bin.
Do enzyme cleaners help?
Some help keep drains fresh, but they work slowly and will not clear an existing clog. Prevention is more reliable.
Ready to get it fixed?
One call, a clear explanation, and work finished tidily before we leave.