Why you should never pour grease down the drain

It can be easy to just wash out your pan and whatever grease is left on it right after cooking, but you could be doing real damage to your pipes and the public sewer system when you do. Here's what you need to know. The following is a transcript of the video:

Bacon grease isn't just bad for you, it's bad for your pipes too. Grease can build up in your pipes. It can clog the pipes and be difficult to remove.

But the situation gets worse when the grease hits the sewers where it combines with everyone else's fats and greases. The fats in the grease get broken down over time. They become fatty acids and glycerol. The fatty acids bind with calcium in the sewers creating a soap-like compound.

These fat globs can cling to high-rising sewers. They're sometimes called "fatbergs." These fatberg clogs can get really big. A 17-ton fatberg was once found in a British sewer. The clogs block the sewer, causing backups. They can be removed by power washing the sewers, but that can take weeks.

If you have leftover fat, don't dump it down the drain. Let it solidify and throw it in the trash. Soak up what's left in the pan with a paper towel. If you do get any down your drain, it's easy to remove. Just pour down a mixture of boiling water, vinegar, and baking soda. But, the less grease you let go down the drain, the better chances of sewer waste never coming out of your faucet.

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