Thanksgiving is right around the corner. With this being one of the busiest holidays of the year, we suggest to get ahead of the curve this year by having your plumbing system inspected, maintenance or repaired. During Thanksgiving, both the kitchen and bathroom tend to be the most frequently used areas in the home. If the plumbing in these areas are not working properly, it can lead to stressful and potentially costly repairs. Preparing for your holiday festivities is important, but don’t forget about your plumbing system.
Read the article below for useful tips that could potentially save you and your guest from a plumbing emergency this holiday season.
1. Prepare Your Home Ready for Thanksgiving
Sometimes for us homeowners, the business surrounding the holiday season takes precedence over anything else. Guest arrangements, buying and preparing food and making sure your home is ready for gatherings can take quite a bit of time and effort. But have you taken a moment to ensure your plumbing system is operating properly? Take a moment to inspect your drains and fixtures around your home. Do you notice any leaking faucets, clogged drains or toilets running? A fully functional and properly operating plumbing system can make a world of a difference this time of year.
If you are having issues with your plumbing system like a dripping faucet, toilet leak, clogged drain, or no hot water then it’s probably a good idea to call a licensed plumber out to assist with your concern. Don’t wait until it’s a holiday emergency to fix the issue. This could end up interrupting your Thanksgiving celebrations and potentially cost you more money.
2. Don’t Treat Your Garbage Disposal as a Garbage Can
When you are preparing a large meal, sometimes things end up getting thrown down the sink drain that shouldn’t. This Thanksgiving, remember to only throw certain foods down the disposal. Things like potato peels, grease, pasta noodles, coffee grinds and turkey bones should only be thrown away in the trash. During this Thanksgiving celebration, don’t give your garbage disposal a hard time by dumping all the food waste in it. This may cause you to end up with a clogged kitchen sink or garbage disposal.
If you do end up putting quite a bit of waste down your kitchen sink drain or disposal, turn on the water and the disposal for a few minutes, to try and clear any food buildup from being deposited into your sink drain. If somehow you run into trouble with the garbage disposal, there is a reset button at the bottom, try pressing it to reset your unit and see if this helps take care of your problem. If you continue to have issues with your disposal, then it’s time to call a licensed plumber to help you out with the situation.
3. Prevent Toilet Clogs
Everyone uses the restroom; this is an unpleasant truth. During the holidays, this can cause your toilets and drains to take on double the workload. Depending on the age and condition of your toilets and drains, this may lead to clogs or backups. That is why we recommend to only throw toilet paper down your drains. Wet wipes or baby wipes may be advertised as flushable; however, they can lead to stoppages. To protect your home and drains this holiday season, let your guest know to dispose of any items, other than toilet paper in the trash.
Other things that shouldn’t be flushed:
- Cotton balls
- Napkins
- Feminine/Hygiene Products
- Hair
- Q-tips
- Cat litter
It is recommended for all the above items to be properly disposed of in the trash bin, rather than disposed down your toilet drain. This useful tip, can help you and your loved ones avoid a plumbing emergency this Thanksgiving.
4. Make Your Shower Time Shorter
Sometimes homeowners will experience a lack of hot water or notice hot water running out quickly when guests are in town. This could be due to the age or condition of your water heater. Depending on the age and condition of your water heater, you may try to take shorter showers to accommodate the guest load or provide a leeway time between showers, so your water heater has enough time to replenish the hot water and distribute throughout the home. If you’re not receiving any hot water to your fixtures, then call a licensed plumber to come out and inspect the unit to see if it needs maintenance, repairs or replacement.
Summing Up
Celebrating Thanksgiving with your loved ones is a special and festive time of the year. Don’t allow a plumbing emergency to turn the joyous celebration into a stressful affair. Use the tips provided above to help avoid a plumbing emergency from occurring at your home. If you suspect there is an issue with your drain lines, garbage disposal, water heater or other parts of your plumbing system, act fast and call a licensed plumber out.
Here at Show Plumbing, our licensed and honest technicians are here to assist, even if you have a holiday plumbing emergency. To schedule service, maintenance or repairs, call our office today at 281-860-2000.