When it comes to caring for the systems in your home, maintenance and prevention are always better than letting things fall by the wayside and then paying for repairs. One of the most important systems in a home to maintain is the sewer system, which starts inside the home. Sewer lines are not magical pipes that carry waste away, regardless of what it is. What you put down your drains matters. Here are a few things you should never allow to go down a kitchen drain, so you’re not faced with an unexpected sewer line replacement cost.
1. Cooking fats.
Dumping cooking fats down a drain is one of the quickest paths to need to be replacing sewer lines in your home. Never put things like melted butter, bacon grease, oils, or any other slick and fatty substances down a kitchen drain, since they can harden and catch debris. If you’re already guilty of this, invest in sewer line cleaning for a fresh start — and start dumping that oil somewhere else.
2. Food bits.
Another problem that’s going to increase your chances of needing sewer line repair is putting food bits down the drain. Smaller bits of food that remain on plates after a meal seem to be no big deal, but they can add up and it’s just not good practice. Put a catch in the bottom of the sink to collect food bits and dump that in the trash when you need to.
3. Glass, shells, and other debris.
It might seem like common sense, but don’t put things down the drain that are bulky or random debris that should just go in the trash. When things build up in a pipe, they create blockages, can get caught in tree roots in sewer lines, and can result in damage, so always put things like bottle caps, broken glass, and anything else that isn’t water in the trash.
Are you guilty of putting any of these things down the drain in your kitchen sink and replacing sewer lines? Feel free to share your thoughts and experience with us in the comments section below.