by 3TV and azfamily.com Staff Posted on January 17, 2010 at 5:51 PM Updated yesterday at 5:55 PM
A little off of the subject of greasetraps and drains but worthwhile enough to pass along with the rains coming.
PHOENIX – With rain in the forecast — and potentially quite a bit of it — experts have a warning for homeowners who have flat roofs. Clean your gutters and drains before it’s too late. Watch the video here:
What Are Grease Interceptors?
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News eaasen@dallasnews.com
On this Thanksgiving, as we stuff ourselves, we stuff our garbage disposals, too. We fill it with celery, turkey, stuffing, rice and pasta. We drop silverware in there. Even jewelry.
That means Thanksgiving time is prime time for plumbers to unclog drains and backed-up sinks. Roto-Rooter says business nationwide jumps about 50 percent on Thanksgiving Friday over other Fridays, making it the busiest day of the year.
This time of year, “the plumber is the hero,” said Mark Wissler, service manager at Dallas Plumbing Co.
Plumbers locally and across the country expect another busy holiday season. Several area plumbers will be available Thanksgiving, just like any other day of the year.
The activity in the kitchen, plus a house full of guests using the toilet, tub and shower, “can really rock your plumbing world,” said Paul Abrams, a Roto-Rooter spokesman.
Here’s a tip: A garbage disposal is not like a turkey – it’s not meant to be stuffed.
“They just think it’s the hole that makes things go away,” Wissler said. “They don’t want that nasty stuff smelling up their garbage can. They’re going to put everything down there that they can. … Disposals are the greatest thing as long as they’re used properly.”
Celery gets stringy and can form a ball and plug a drain. Pasta or rice get engorged with water and form a gel. Potato peels congeal. Add some grease from turkey drippings and you’ve got the “glue that holds everything together,” Abrams said.
One year, Wissler visited a home where Thanksgiving brisket had been stuffed down the disposal.
“I basically had to clear that drain line and pull out a pound of shredded meat,” he said. “I talked to the wife. She blamed her husband.”
One time, Wissler stopped by a house filled with 20 people, all trying to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Except that the kitchen sink was clogged.
“Within a half hour, I was done and they were the most grateful people,” he said. “That’s when you get some good tips.”
When Mark Carrasco, a local Roto-Rooter plumber, visits homes at Thanksgiving, homeowners are usually apologetic.
“They realize it was their fault off the bat,” Carrasco said. “They know it’s not a maintenance issue. They can usually tell you exactly what’s in there.”
Fixing a plumbing problem on an important holiday is rewarding, he said
“They’re getting aunts and uncles and everybody thanking you,” he said. “You can help them get back to their celebration.”
While it’s one thing to clog your drain with turkey and stuffing, or even brisket, it’s quite another to see valuable jewelry go down the drain.
Some women, while cooking and washing, take off their wedding rings and bracelets – and then accidentally drop them into the disposal.
Retrieving those sentimental items results in jubilation.
“There are smiles and laughter and a long laugh and relief that you were able to find it,” Carrasco said. “Wives hug me.”
Several area plumbers will be available Thanksgiving Day, just like any other day of the year. But here’s what to do to avoid calling a plumber during the holidays:
•Don’t pour fats or cooking oils down drains. They solidify in pipes. Instead, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and throw them in the trash.
•Don’t place stringy, fibrous or starchy waste in the garbage disposal, including poultry skins, celery, fruit and potato peels. Disposals can’t sufficiently grind these items.
•Make sure the disposal is running when you put food into it. Don’t wait until it’s full to turn it on. Run warm water.
SOURCES: Roto-Rooter, Dallas Morning News research
By Tom Lutzenberger eHow Contributing Writer
Grease traps are an integral function of any commercial kitchen that produces significant amounts of food. They are required by local and state food service regulations and prevent municipal plumbing systems from clogging up and failing. However, grease traps are messy systems and contain a number of inherent dangers for both users and the immediate environment.
Reported by: Tara Twietmeyer abc15.com Last Update: 11/16 10:53 pm — Great Job Guys
PHOENIX — Two Phoenix police officers got a surprise when they responded to a call on November 8 near Greenway Road and Greenway Parkway. Officers Cameron Wells and Ernesto Amparan arrived on scene to find a large group of people huddled around a drain and heard a faint moaning coming from inside it. Officers soon realized it was a distressed kitten in need of rescue, but there was something standing in their way – an eight foot long, dark and dirty sewage drain. Amparan didn’t hesitate. He quickly grabbed his flashlight and entered the drain. When he got to the bottom, he says there were three large drains blocking his way so he was forced to kneel in the filth to make his way to the back of the sewer. Officer Amparan says with his “face pressed against slimy walls,” he saw the kitten wedged in the back of the sewer. He then grabbed his police baton and scooped the kitten out. With witnesses cheering, and some in tears, the kitten was brought to ground. Officers say the people who made the 9-1-1 call decided to adopt the kitten there on the spot. They named him Ernesto, after his rescuer Officer Ernesto Amparan.
Posted Nov 09, 2009 by MaxwellPayne www.bukisa.com
Some ways to unclog and fix a clogged drain. How to unclog a bathtub drain. Bathtub drains often get clogged up after weeks, months, and even years of hair, dirt, fuzz, and bits of soap building up in the bathtub pipes. Whether you’ve noticed it is taking your bathtub longer and longer to drain or your bathtub is filled with water and completely clogged, these tips may help you unclog your bathtub drain quickly and cheaply. Hot water – If your bathtub drain is not completely clogged (as in the water still drains, just very slowly). Turn on the hot water and let it run for a few minutes. Depending on the severity of the clog, the hot water may begin to dislodge the built up hair and scum in the drain pipe. This method won’t work if your bathtub is full of backed up water. Plunge it – Much like the clogged toilet, you can use a standard plunger to unclog your bathtub drain. If your bathtub has an overflow hole or overflow plate, you’ll need to cover it with a wet towel or rag. Hold the wet rag over the overflow plate while plunging the drain. The rag prevents the created suction from seeping out the overflow opening. Again, depending on the clog you may be able to unclog the drain quite well with the plunger. Pull out the clog when it is close to the surface opening as much as you can. Snake it – If you have a cable auger (sometimes called a snake), you can use that to unclog your bathtub drain. If you have an overflow plate, remove it and clear away any debris. You’ll slide the auger through the overflow opening and keep pushing it down about 2 feet or so. Even if you feel some resistance, keep working it down. Some augers come with handles and cranks to make retrieving the cable easier. Drain cleaners – Household drain unclogging chemicals can often work wonders on a clogged drain. They can flow deep into the drain reaching clogs that augers may not reach. You can purchase them at a wide variety of stores and there are many brands and types to choose from. Usually you’ll pour half or all of the bottle down the drain depending on the instructions on the bottle. After about 15 minutes or so, run hot water into the drain for a few minutes. This method is not recommended if your bathtub is backed up or filled with water already. If none of these options work and your bathtub still drains water slowly or not at all, it may be time to call a plumber as your clogged drain may be severely backed up. You can minimize the severity of drainpipe clogs by always keeping the screen or drain hole grate in place whenever bathing or showering. Always clean this after each use and once a week remove it to clean out debris and hair caught just below the drain opening. Run hot water down the drain from time to time and keep a bottle of drain cleaner handy for occasional use. Preventing drain clogs in the first place can save you time and money in the long run.
Read the entire story here: By Jason Shueh
eHow Contributing Writer
Grease traps are used to intercept grease and solid food wastes before they enter a wastewater disposal system. In most cases these plumbing filtration devices are used in high-production kitchens and restaurants where large amounts of grease and food waste is being produced. Using grease traps prevents septic tanks and septic facilities from releasing harmful waste into the environment.
Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:35am EDT Read the entire story here:
WACO, Texas--(Business Wire)-- Greasy gravy might taste great on grandma`s mashed potatoes, but it can be bad when poured down the kitchen sink. When preparing and cleaning up the Thanksgiving feast, cooks should not put grease, potato peels and turkey bones down the garbage disposal. Disregarding this advice can lead to clogged drains. "It`s important to know what should and should not be put down the drain before the Thanksgiving frenzy," said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. "On top of that, many people don`t realize how much food they are stuffing into their garbage disposals until it`s too late." Year in and year out, plumbers spend the holiday season unclogging stuffing-stuffed drains. Just like retailers, the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for Mr. Rooter plumbers. But preventing kitchen sink back-ups is as easy as pie if you follow the advice of Mr. Rooter Plumbing technicians: * Don`t put turkey bones, skin and potato and onion peels down the disposal * Instead, throw scraps in the trash or compost pile * Wipe greasy pans and plates with a paper towel before washing * Avoid pouring grease down the drain * Don't overload the garbage disposal. "When a house full of family and friends try to put their leftovers down the drain, it`s a possibility your pipes may clog," Thompson said. "Disposals aren`t designed to replace the trash bag." When it comes to properly using the garbage disposal, turn the water on first. Then, turn on the disposal, and feed the waste gradually. Leave the water on for a short period of time after the disposal is turned off. If the garbage disposal stops abruptly while in use, turn the garbage disposal power off, and press the re-set button under the sink (if available). Avoid operating the dishwasher if there`s a problem; it discharges into the disposal. If the kitchen sink is backing up, call a qualified plumber. Mr. Rooter Corporation Whitney Wyatt-Kovar, 800-583-8003 ext. 5894 Public Relations Whitney.Wyatt-Kovar@MrRooter.com Copyright Business Wire 2009
Useful Information – Use caution as you seek out pumping companies. ProBest Grease Trap Management doesn’t haul away grease or pump interceptors however we do recommend a few. AAA Ajax right here in Phoenix 602-278-0075, Patti and her staff are honest and ethical.
Here is an article about someone who wasn’t… This story appeared here:
Alabama Grease Haulers Charged with Clean Water Act Violations for Dumping into Mobile Area Sewers WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Mobile, Ala., grand jury has indicted a waste disposal company, its president and top manager for offenses involving the illegal disposal of waste into the sewage treatment systems of Mobile and of neighboring municipalities, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. DHS Inc., operating under the name Roto Rooter; its president, Donald Gregory Smith; and manager William Wilmoth Sr. were charged today in a forty-three count indictment with numerous violations of the Clean Water Act and with fraud and conspiracy for having dumped into local sewers thousands of gallons of waste grease and oil that they had been hired to dispose of safely and legally. The indictment recites Mobile's history of years of sewage overflows, inadequate wastewater treatment and polluting effluent caused by blockages of sewer lines and treatment works with solidified grease. In response to lawsuits under the Clean Water Act, the city of Mobile entered into a court ordered agreement with EPA under which Mobile implemented a grease control program requiring restaurants and other food service establishments to install grease traps to prevent cooking oils from entering the sewer system. The indictment charges that Roto Rooter, on the representation that it would pump out the grease traps of restaurants and other commercial customers and dispose of their grease waste at legal facilities, instead discharged the grease through grease traps and manholes into the sewer lines that the defendants were being paid to prevent it from entering. Roto Rooter employee Michael L. Edington has entered guilty pleas today in federal district court in Mobile to having dumped from Roto Rooter pump trucks numerous loads of grease into area sewer systems between 2004 and 2006, to having falsified grease tracking manifests to make it appear that the waste had been disposed of properly, and to having conspired with the defendants named in the indictment to commit the illegal disposals and fraud with which they have all been charged. Individuals who are found to have violated the Clean Water Act are subject to up to three years of incarceration per count, twenty years in prison for fraud, as well as monetary penalties. The matter is being handled by the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama and EPA's Criminal Investigation Division. An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty at trial. SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-514-2007, TDD +1-202-514-1888
