What to Do When You Poured Hot Wax Down the Drain

The items that should go down your kitchen drain are limited to water and small particles of food if you have a garbage disposal. Other items going down your drain run the risk of causing clogs. 

None have more of a risk than hot wax.

DON’T POUR HOT WAX DOWN YOUR DRAIN!

The major issue is that hot wax goes into drains as a liquid, but it doesn't stay that way for long. The volume of the wax helps keep it in a liquid state by holding heat. However, when you pour it down the drain, that will dissipate the heat quickly and form into a solid. Once that happens, you have a problem. Even a small amount of wax can cause a sink to clog or drain slowly.

Unfortunately, once the wax is in the drain, it’s very difficult to remove. 

You can try to plunge your sink in the attempt to get small pieces of wax to dislodge, but more than likely that will be unsuccessful. Even harsh drain cleaners won’t remove the wax. And trying to dissipate the clog with boiling water is not recommended either; this only pushes the wax deeper in the drain where it will harden again. 

The only way to truly remove wax from inside a drain is to use a drain snake equipped with cutting blades that match the diameter of your drain. This tool may be difficult to find, thus you’ll likely need to call a plumber if hot wax is causing your drain to clog. 

Our best advice is simple: never pour hot wax down your drain. But if you do, please give our team of master plumbers a call. We’ll be happy to help point you in the right direction and get your drain functioning correctly. 

-A R Engh Team