Can the grease
The holiday season brings family, festive meals, and…sometimes unexpected plumbing problems. Between extra cooking, house guests and cold weather, December is one of the most common times for sewer backups. Fortunately, a few simple habits can help Castle Pines families keep things flowing smoothly.
Many sewer backups start with what goes down the drain. When fats, oils, and grease from holiday cooking are rinsed into sinks, they cool, harden, and stick to the inside of pipes. Over time, these buildup layers can block your service line or even contribute to blockages in the main line—leading to backups inside your home.
Other common causes of sewer backups include cracked or aging pipes, tree-root intrusion, separated joints, and infrastructure impacts from ground movement or weather. While utilities perform regular inspections and cleaning, they cannot prevent every issue—making homeowner prevention especially important.
To protect your pipes this season, pour grease into a can, let it solidify, and throw it away; wipe pans before washing to keep grease out of the drain; toss all wipes, even those labeled “flushable”; only flush the “3 Ps”: pee, poop, and (toilet) paper; and know your coverage—many insurers offer affordable sewer-backup protection.
A few small steps now can prevent a very unpleasant (and expensive) interruption to your celebrations. Learn more at cpnmd.org/avoiding-addressing-sewer-backups.
Information and photo provided by CPNMD
