It’s an exciting time of year at your house. Decorations are done. You have some last-minute holiday shopping and baking to do, and guests will be coming in only a few days. The last thing on your mind is the plumbing. But it is all too common that a plumbing emergency happens during the holidays. Why? The holidays can be tough on plumbing.
Increased usage puts a serious strain on your plumbing. With more guests coming by for social events and staying overnight, the extra usage creates stress that can cause a plumbing emergency. The good news is that there are ways to help reduce problems before they happen.
5 Plumbing Tips for the Holidays
Inspect
Do a quick last-minute inspection of your plumbing. A leaking faucet or running toilet can quickly escalate into a mess with more usage. Check under sinks and look around plumbing appliances for cracked or leaking tubes and lines. Replace parts and get repairs scheduled before guests arrive.
Clear clogs.
Clogs happen. The culprit is usually dirt, grime, and hair that accumulates from everyday use. But an existing clog becomes a bigger problem with increased usage during the holidays. To avoid a bad clog that can damage a sewer line or cause a backup, give your drains an extra cleaning by pouring a drain cleaner or homemade mixture of white vinegar and hot water down them.
Don’t trash the toilet.
It is amazing how many people use their toilets as trash cans. You risk damaging your pipes every time you flush something other than a reasonable amount of toilet paper and human waste. Don’t flush items such as Kleenex, wet wipes, napkins, paper towels, medicine, plastic wrap, cotton swaps, personal hygiene products, cat litter…the list is endless.
No oils down the drains.
There are many food wastes that can damage your disposal and harm your drains. During the holidays, grease, fats, and oils are common problems for clogs. The butter on foods, bacon grease in stuffing, and oils in gravy are bad for pipes. They will congeal when cooled, sticking to the insides of pipes while collecting other food particles to form a clog. Put greasy foods in the trash and set liquid grease aside to congeal, then throw away.
Use your garbage disposal less.
We know you will have a lot to cook, but too much can jam the mechanism in your disposal. Also, the wrong waste can wrap around or damage the mechanism. Peels, shells, grinds, nuts, stringy vegetables, greasy foods, starchy foods, and hard bones are a few of the food wastes that should not be put in the disposal.
High Priority Plumbing wishes you a happy holiday. We’re here to help reduce the stress of needed repairs whether in preparation for your guests or in an emergency during the holidays. Call us at 770.860.8110 in Atlanta.