Keep Your Drains Clean With Baker Brothers

November 26, 2018

By Baker Brothers Plumbing & Air Conditioning

Posted in: Announcements

Clogged Drains, Pipes Keep North Texas Plumbers Busy

The biggest culprits in kitchen drain issues are dumped cooking oil, grease and food buildup

By Larry Collins

Published Nov 26, 2018 at 4:45 AM | Updated at 6:59 AM CST on Nov 26, 2018

The holiday season is always extremely busy for Dallas plumbers. According to Baker Brothers Plumbing, Air & Electric, the Friday after Thanksgiving and the weekend that follows is their busiest time of the year, affectionately called ‘Brown Friday.”

Plumbers say the biggest culprits in kitchen drain issues are dumped cooking oil, grease and food buildup.

“Most of the buildup in the kitchen line is when folks are putting all kinds if foods down their garbage disposal and putting grease down there and things like that,” Baker Brothers plumber Mike Walker said.

Walker unclogs six to eight drains across North Texas every day, “normally on kitchen lines that people are putting a lot of stuff down,” he said. “It will be down to about an inch to an inch and a half of pipe where water is going through.”

It can be more than an inconvenience. Clogs can get very expensive.

“Your older houses that have cast iron and things like that…those pipes can rot out,” Walker said.

Walker explained that could cost you between $8,000 and $15,000 to replace.

Baker Brothers offers ideas to keep your pipes and drains clean and safe:

• Avoid putting stringy, fibrous or starchy waste in the garbage disposal, like poultry skins, celery, fruit and potato peels.
• Never put coffee grinds in the drain. It hardens easily and clogs quickly
• Never put pasta or bread because they expand easily
• Try using cold water instead of hot water so grease solidifies and is flushed through a pipe. Otherwise, the grease could stick to the pipe.
• Don’t pour cooking oils or fats down the drain. They build up in the pipes like “clogged arteries.”
• Wipe off greasy plates and pots with paper towels and then throw away the towels.