How to prevent grease from becomming a problem in your drainage system

To prevent cloggs related to fats, oils and greases from happening, follow these good practices:

Before washing dishes, scrape and dry them with a paper towel.
Pour cooled oils and greas into a covered container and mix with other absorbent material like paper towels, kitty litter or coffee grounds before disposing in the trash.
Minimize garbage disposal use and place a basket or strainer over your drain to catch food items, then throw them in the trash.

Soil Stack or Stack Vent

It is the pipe that takes methane gas, also commonly referred to as sewer gas, from the plumbing system and safely vents it up through the roof, where it is diluted into the atmosphere.

Periodically it can become plugged. When that happens, run an auger or long snake down the vent until the obstruction is removed, then flush it clear using a garden hose with the water turned on.

Oftentimes, the boot or collar dries out and cracks. Leaks can develop and rot the roof boards and ceiling below. You can tar around this pipe, but the tar also dries out. For under $10 you can buy a stack sleeve the easily slides down the vent, hugging it, while eliminating further leaks.