Have you ever cooked bacon on a skillet and had all the fat run off? What did you do with it? If you’re like many people, you poured it down the drain. Wash it down with some water and it’s all good, right? () Unfortunately, after years of doing this, it is not “all good” for those in London according to a BBC article from late last year. It seems London has a problem with what experts call “fatbergs.” These are mounds of built up congealed fat, wet wipes, oil, and more that has built up due to the wrong things being flushed down the toilet and washed down the sink. The most recent one was over 800 feet long and weighed 130 tons. That’s nearly as heavy as a blue whale and nearly as long as three football fields! This is not exactly a new problem as fatbergs have been seen before, but this recent buildup was one of the largest ever seen. Because of the blockage, the sewer was practically useless until they could clear the fatberg out of the way, which took a few weeks. This was such a disgustingly impressive pile of waste that part of it was put on display in the Museum of London.
This issue illustrates a very important point. Plumbing is something we take for granted, but if we use it in a way it is not intended to be used, we run the risk of creating big problems. As London has been educating its citizens on, make sure to only flush human waste and toilet paper and make sure you do not pour grease, oil, etc. down the sink. It can create problems with your sewer. However, if you do have sewer issues, that’s where we come in. APEX Plumbing has been helping the people of Metro Denver with sewer line repairs and water line replacements for over 30 years. We have also worked hard to help educate people through our seminars, website resources, in-person conversations about underground plumbing, and more! Underground plumbing can be complicated, and the problems can be messy. Don’t allow your sewer problems to multiply to the point they get their own names like “fatberg.” Contact APEX today for your FREE estimate or visit us online to get a quote!
