When plumbers talking about the clogging they commonly find in drainpipes and sewer lines, they’ll often refer to “fog.” This is actually an acronym, F.O.G., and it stands for “fats, oils, and grease.” In homes, F.O.G. is one of the main enemies that the drains can face, and the principle source of frequent clogging problems. If your home has issues because of a build-up of F.O.G. in the drains, you should schedule professional drain cleaning that will get to the core of the problem and remove it.

Why F.O.G. Is So Bad for Your Drains

Fats, oils, and grease are common products from cooking. When hot, they are in liquid form, and this leads people to mistakenly believe that these leftovers are harmless to pour down drains and garbage disposals.

However, this is one of the worst things that a person can do to a home’s drainpipes. As soon as F.O.G. cools down, it turns into a solid. A waxy, tough solid that won’t get simply washed away over time. F.O.G. will start to accumulate in the pipes, and it won’t take long for it to coat the inside of drainpipe so heavily that it will severely reduce the available volume.

This will make it easier for clogs to start. If you are running into kitchen sink clogs on a routine basis, you probably have a F.O.G. buildup. Stop resorting to the plunger ever few days (and never resort to liquid drain cleaners) and instead call on professional drain cleaners to use techniques such as hydro-jetting to remove the layers of fats, oils, and grease in the pipes.

There are other issues that F.O.G. can create. The reduced pipe volume will cause a spike in pressure inside the drainage system, which can cause leaks. F.O.G. will also start to give off rotten odors, so if your drains smell bad, it might be time to schedule professional drain cleaning.

To arrange for drain and sewer cleaning, give Lifeline Plumbing, Heating & Cooling a call. We serve Elgin, IL and the surrounding areas.