Expecting trouble with the "REAL" plumbing - should I?


(Candy Lind) #1

OK, so the majority of us cook a lot more after going keto - which means, with all this high-fat food, that you can be really REALLY careful, and still end up sending enough fat down the drain to cause a problem eventually. Right? What is your experience with this? Do you take any proactive measures against a stoppage? I’ve been considering adding an auger job from the kitchen to the cleanout in front of the house occasionally.


(Ron) #2

BigBig bunch of boiling water down the drain in one big gush. Hot water melts the fat some and flushes it down.


(Candy Lind) #3

Yes, but doesn’t that just push the problem 10 feet or so down the line? I figure eventually you’ve got fat lining everything to the street. :rofl:


(Ron) #4

I’m not sure where your at and what your system is like but typically you have a main line that all smaller lines feed down into. These small lines are usually where the problem develops and once the fats make it to the bigger lines the fats will not usually build up because of all the soaps, disolvants, and other chemical residues. If it is your kitchen sink and you use dish washing liquid like “dawn”, these are designed to break down the fats and buildup shouldn’t really be a problem. If you are concerned though you could do a “dawn flush” occasionally.:grin::smirk:


(Candy Lind) #5

HMMMM! Interesting thought! :grin:


(Jay AM) #6

Any plumbing issue caused by fat is likely something you’ll be able to reach and take care of yourself if there is trouble. If you’re worried, drizzle dish soap down the drain overnight and you can use hot water to rinse the next day.


(Duncan) #7

OK so I am a little confused by this question because it makes me wonder if I am doing keto all wrong. I eat all the fat I cook with. If I cook some nice green veggies in expensive coconut oil or bacon and eggs in a big chunk of grass fed butter it all goes on my plate. I honestly can’t think there is any going down the sink. Am I eating too much fat? Should the fat that clings to whatever you cook be enough and the rest poured away? When I read Stephen Phinney carries small bottles of oil in case there isn’t enough on his plate, I thought it was ok to effectively glug the stuff as long as it is good quality. I am still feeling my way into this way of eating and over the 7 weeks Iv’e been doing it I have lost body fat, weight and I feel great. I want to lose more weight yet so should I be pouring fat away?


(Allie) #8

http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/cleaning-products/soda-crystals/

Half a bag of these down the sink followed by a few kettles of boiling water whenever needed. Breaks down any fatty deposits down there.


(Ken) #9

I recently replaced my garbage disposal that had become so clogged with fat the motor had burned out. It was a fairly heavy duty model. I also had to snake the pipe from it in my basement, along a fairly horizontal stretch right before it attached onto the main vertical sewer pipe. I had always flushed with hot water when I put fat down the disposal. It wasn’t enough.

I just save any excess fat now and incorporate it into my dog food. It saves on buying fat for them at $1.00-1.50 per pound. I also use the fat for frying.

I have a metal pot I collect it in. When I get enough, I melt it, then I strain (wire strainer) it into a pot. Then I bring it to a boil and simmer a while to reduce any water. Then I strain again (cheesecloth) into a bowl and put it in the fridge to harden. When it’s hard you flip it and run some hot water on the bottom so it pops out of the pot. Then it’s easy to scrape off the non fat residue on the bottom. The residue usually is highly seasoned, so it can be used for flavoring. Lastly, I remelt the fat so I can pour it into storage containers. It keeps a very long time in the fridge or freezer.


#10

We keep an old pot handy- yoghurt or something, pour the fat in that & put it out in the rubbish, as our drains get blocked really easily… but like ketodunc says, aren’t you supposed to eat fat?!


(Candy Lind) #11

[quote=“ketodunc, post:7, topic:39185”]
I eat all the fat I cook with. If I cook some nice green veggies in expensive coconut oil or bacon and eggs in a big chunk of grass fed butter it all goes on my plate.[/quote]

I obviously didn’t make myself clear in my OP. I DO eat or save all the fat I can (love me some bacon nectar - I could be typecast for Jack Sprat’s wife! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: ), but whether the fat’s on a plate or a skillet, there’s some residue you can’t remove before you wash it. I wish I could let my dog “pre-wash” it, but she’s predisposed to pancreatitis, so extra fat’s off limits.

Thanks @Shortstuff for the washing soda suggestion - I don’t want to use chemical drain cleaner and that’s a good alternative. :blush: And @jules4 I already do something similar to your pot - I keep a pickle jar in the freezer door for liquids that will stink up the garbage in our warm climate. I freeze veggie trimmings, too, since I have absolutely nowhere to put a compost heap. :cry: I bet my garbage men are amazed at how non-smelly my bin is. :grin:


#12

We had to spend $700+ to have a fat clog cleared from our sewer line going out to the street. The plumber recommended Dawn Dish Detergent to avoid future problems.


(Chris W) #13

Dumping vinegar down your drains once every month or so when it has a chance to sit in the traps will help with fat building up as well. This also works good in the bathroom were your body oils and skin tend to clog up. Just don’t ever do this and follow it with drano or you will have a nasty reaction.
If you have PVC drains you should not be getting much in the way of build up if things are plumbed correctly.


#14

Never ever pour fat down the drain. I cook my bacon on parchment for easy clean up. Other excess fats get poured in a can and the por wiped off with a paper towel. I use baking soda to absorb any remaining fat and dump that in the trash. I use an enzyme based dish detergent. My dad was a plumber as a second job and he recommended periodically pouring a canner full of boiling water down the drain regularly. I even do the shower once or twice a year.


(Candy Lind) #15

I hadn’t thought of the baking soda! I do mop whatever I don’t decant with paper towels. Tell me about this enzyme-based dish detergent? And can you tell me what a canner is and how much liquid volume it holds? Are we talking a huge pot in which you can boil/process canned foods?


(Cywgdave) #16

Subject to confirmation but I read a number of years back that flushing your coffee grounds down the drain acts as a mild abrasive and will help to scour fat and other deposits off the pipes. Gotta do something with the grounds anyways… Although most of mine end up in the compost.


(Candy Lind) #17

That’s another possibility to try. Although BPC has become a treat for me as opposed to an every-day thing.


(Lonnie Hedley) #18

Is your tongue broken? :joy::joy::joy:


#19

Your water treatment plant would also appreciate it if you didn’t pour grease down the drain. Instead save it in a can or tub and let it solidify, then dispose of it with your garbage.


#20

Seventh generation dish detergent is enzymatic. You are correct on the canner, any large pot will do.

Okay, PSA time: only put water down your drain! Coffee grounds, egg shells what have you do not go down the drain! Even if you have a disposal in your sink. Those are designed to grind up the stuff left after you wipe off your plate, pot, pan what have you into the trash. Compost everything but meat and fat, those draw vermin.