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Cleaner for massive grease buildup?

13K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Nealtw 
#1 ·
Our house has massive grease buildup about 20 feet into the drain pipe leading from the kitchen sink. Cause is Asian style cooking.

The buildup gets longer and heavier each year. I hear there are drain cleaners used by commercial restuarant establishments that can cut this stuff. Does anyone know about these?

BTW standard power snake can barely chew its way through this buildup. We hired a power sprayer one year.
 
#8 ·
As Nap eluded to, a grease trap (or grease interceptor) is what is used in commercial applications. Most jurisdictions require it for any restaurant where grease could go down a drain. It is not a chemical means of dealing with it, it is actually a baffle-type device that goes in the ground under the slab and everything runs through it. The grease settles out and the water passes on downstream. They're periodically pumped or cleaned out. I've never seen one used in a residence but a small one would be the best solution in this case.

I've used Roebic K31 (?) enzyme treatment from Lowes at my house do deal with drain issues, but I don't know that it'll tackle larger scale grease problems.
 
#2 ·
Some plumbers carry a quality enzyme product that works. Statewide Supply 800.553.5573 for a list of plumbers who stock the stuff. Not cheap,but it works. I use it on resturant roofs. I used some on a chinaman roof, over 6 months, it ate about 1/2 of the chinese grease.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Save yourself lots of money in this instance and don't try to do this yourself. Call in the pros if you are so clogged up. They will have all the toys, tools and chemicals and you will save money in the long run. The enzymatic cleaners will only help once you clear the obstructions out of the way in the first place because you will just rinse them loose.
 
#6 ·
and I surely hope you are not on a private septic system 'cuz you are killing it if you are. I am sure the muni one isn't thrilled if you are on such but at least they have the means to deal with it.


If you have that much grease, you might consider a grease trap. In fact, if on a muni system, they might require one.
 
#7 ·
It is not a septic tank. It is a house and goes to a regular sewer. Yes I am amazed a simple household can produce so much grease.

I have a 1/3 hp drain machine, and I can power through with a grease cutter head, but it is like 15 or 20 feet of continuous work. We used to hire someone once a year to open it up.

I have some over the counter enzyme stuff, I was going to experiment with it and run the snake through there to see if it actually does anything. But I doubt it will work. I might look up that professional enzyme stuff. I heard restuarants have their own special chemicals they use, but I can't seem to find them on the internet.
 
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