Not every waste produced in your kitchen should be disposed of in the septic system. For example, fats, oil, and grease, which plumbers call FOG, are not good for your septic system. So why is FOG so dangerous for your septic system?

The Problem

FOG floats on water. You have probably noticed this when you pour cooking oil in water and watch it occupy the top layer. Therefore, if you dispose of fog in your septic system, they will not mix up with the water, but rather collect on the surface of the liquid wastes.

A little of this may not hurt your septic system. Over time, however, the collection of fog will grow in size and harden, leading to further complications. For example, the hardened crusts can break off and block off the exit pipes of the septic tank. This will put enormous strain on the septic system, shorten its life and even cause sewer backups. In addition to that, the fog can also accumulate within the drainage pipes supplying wastes to the septic tank; this can also cause sewer backups in your house. Lastly, Fog products don't break down easily, which means they will impair your septic tank's ability to treat the wastes it receives.

Prevention

Here are some of the ways of preventing FOG from clogging your septic system:

Don't Pour FOG Down the Drain

This is the most obvious way of avoiding fog-related clogging. You need to have alternative disposal system for your fog products; for example:

• You can wipe them off with disposable paper (that you can then treat as normal garbage to be collected)
• Freeze them in a container for disposal
• Collect and take them to recycling centers

Install and Maintain Grease Traps

Unfortunately, the most obvious things aren't always the easiest things to do. At one time or another, you will find yourself pouring some FOD down the drain. Installing a grease trap under your sinks ensures that the grease doesn't reach your septic system even if that does happen.

Dealing With Fog in the System

If you have already been disposing of fog in your system for some time, then you need a professional plumber's drain cleaning skills to prevent further damage. The plumber will flush the system to get rid of the accumulated fog so that you can start a fresh and prevent further fog entry into the system. Don't go the DIY route of using drain cleaning chemicals because they may not work for fog; in fact, some of the chemicals may just mix up with the fog materials and cause further clogging.