Most holiday drain clogs start in the kitchen sink between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. More cooking, more guests, and a disposal working overtime put months of wear on your drains in a few weeks. Here is what causes the clogs, how to prevent them, and when to call a plumber in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In short
- Grease and gravy cause most holiday kitchen clogs. Pour them into a can, never down the sink.
- Scrape plates into the trash first. Feed the disposal slowly with cold water running.
- Slow drains, gurgling, and sewer smells are warnings. Fix them before guests arrive.
- Skip chemical drain cleaners. Use a plunger, hot tap water, or a plumber’s snake.
What causes holiday drain clogs
Grease, fat, and gravy
Turkey drippings, bacon fat, butter, and gravy are liquid when hot. Once they cool inside a pipe they harden and stick to the walls. Each rinse adds a layer until the line closes up. The EPA lists grease blockages among the leading causes of sanitary sewer overflows, and the same thing happens on a smaller scale in a home kitchen line. Our post on preventing fats, oils, and grease buildup covers this in detail.
Overloaded garbage disposals
A disposal is built for small amounts of soft scraps fed in gradually. On a holiday it gets a cutting board of potato peels at once, then celery ends, then rice. Starchy and fibrous food turns into a paste that packs the trap. Bathrooms suffer too: more hair in the tub drain, and guests flushing wipes and paper towels that never break down.
How to prevent holiday drain clogs before guests arrive
A five-minute setup before the first big meal prevents most holiday drain clogs.
- Set up a grease can. Pour cooled fat, oil, and gravy into an empty coffee can and trash it when full. Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before washing.
- Put a scrap bin on the counter. Scrape plates into the trash or a compost pail before they reach the sink. The EPA’s guide to composting at home lists which scraps can go in a backyard pile.
- Add mesh strainers in the kitchen sink and the guest shower. They cost a few dollars and stop most debris.
- Run the disposal the right way. Cold water on first, then the disposal, then feed scraps slowly. Let the water run about 15 seconds after grinding stops. Cold water keeps fat solid so it moves through the pipe.
- Put a lidded wastebasket in every bathroom so guests have somewhere other than the toilet for wipes.
- Clear a slow drain now. A sink that drains slowly in November will fail in December. Our list of the top 7 signs you need professional drain cleaning helps you decide whether it needs a plumber.
What can and cannot go down the disposal
It depends on the model. InSinkErator’s what-can-I-grind guide rates basic units for soft scraps only. If you are not sure what you have, treat it as a basic unit.
| Fine in small amounts | Keep out of the disposal |
|---|---|
| Soft fruit and vegetable scraps | Fats, oils, grease, gravy, and butter |
| Citrus rinds in small pieces | Potato, carrot, and other starchy peels in bulk |
| Cooked meat scraps without bone | Bones, fruit pits, and shells |
| Bread, pasta, and rice with plenty of water | Celery, corn husks, onion skins, and other stringy food |
| Ice cubes, which scour the grind chamber | Twist ties, foil, plastic, and any non-food item |
Warning signs a drain is about to back up
- Slow drainage. Water standing after the faucet is off means the line is partly blocked.
- Gurgling. Air bubbling up a drain when another fixture runs points to a blockage.
- Odors. A sewer smell from a drain means food is trapped and rotting in the line.
- Water in the wrong place. If a flush backs up the tub, the clog is in the main line. That is a plumber’s job. Our guide on how to find your sewer line cleanout shows where the 3 or 4 inch capped pipe usually sits.
What to do when a sink stops draining
Safe fixes you can try
- Plunge it. Fill the sink with a few inches of water, block the second drain with a wet rag, and plunge firmly 10 to 15 times.
- Flush with hot tap water. Run the hottest water your tap gives, usually about 120 F from a standard water heater, for a minute or two. Do not pour boiling water. It can soften PVC joints and crack a porcelain sink.
- Baking soda and vinegar. Half a cup of baking soda, then a cup of vinegar, wait 15 minutes, and rinse with hot tap water. It helps with odors. It will not clear a grease plug.
- Reset the disposal. If it hums but will not spin, switch it off, press the red reset button underneath, and free the chamber with an Allen wrench in the bottom socket. Never put your hand inside.
What not to do
Skip liquid chemical drain cleaners. They rarely clear grease, they damage older pipes and disposal seals, and they splash back when a plumber opens the line.
When to call a plumber for holiday drain clogs
Call when plunging fails, when the same drain clogs twice in a season, or when two fixtures back up at once. A plumber will snake the line, or for heavy grease use a hydro jetter, which scours the pipe walls at 1,500 to 4,000 psi. A camera inspection shows whether it is a one-time clog or a sewer line problem such as roots. Cost depends on where the clog is and how it is cleared, so we quote it after inspection.
The best time to book professional drain cleaning is before the holidays. For a busy kitchen, a cleaning every 1 to 2 years keeps grease from building to the point of a backup.
After the holidays
Run hot tap water down the kitchen sink for a minute a day for a week. Grind a cup of ice to scour the disposal. A disposal that trips its reset often or leaks underneath is near the end of its 8 to 15 year life and worth replacing.
Holiday drain clogs FAQ
Can I pour turkey grease down the drain if I run hot water?
No. Hot water carries the grease further into the pipe before it cools and hardens. Pour it into a can, let it set, and put it in the trash.
Is it safe to put potato peels in the garbage disposal?
A few peels with plenty of cold water are fine in most units. A whole bowl turns into starchy paste that packs the trap.
Why does my sink gurgle when the dishwasher runs?
Air is pushing through a partial blockage in the shared kitchen line. Plunge the sink and, if it continues, have the line snaked before it backs up completely.
Do chemical drain cleaners work on holiday drain clogs?
Rarely. Most kitchen clogs are grease and food, which the chemicals cannot cut through. They can also damage pipes and disposal seals.
How much does it cost to clear a kitchen drain in DFW?
It depends on where the clog is and whether the main line needs jetting. The Right Choice quotes the price after inspecting the drain, before any work starts.
If a drain slows down or backs up this season, The Right Choice Heating and Air can help. Our licensed plumbers serve Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Irving, and nearby communities. Call (214) 251-4015 or schedule an appointment online.