Holiday Plumbing Preparedness

The holidays are here! This means guests and family will be arriving soon and the time to prep your home is now! While prepping, don’t forget about the little things that could turn into big things if not maintained properly. When you have increased guests in your home due to the holidays, there is an increased use of your plumbing system. Prepare for common issues now so you won’t have to deal with them later!

HOT WATER

If you have overnight guests this holiday season, cleaning and bathing is a big deal. Prevent running out of hot water by turning up your tank water heater to maximize its capability and help the hot water last longer.

CLOGGED GARBAGE DISPOSAL AND DRAINS

This is a messy and inconvenient problem to have during the holidays. Thanksgiving involves lots of cooking and cleaning for most American families. Your holiday can quickly become a catastrophe if this process is interrupted.

Protect your garbage disposal and prevent it from jamming up by watching what kind of foods you put in it. For instance, excessive potato skins and fibrous veggies such as celery tangle the disposal system and prevent it from doing its’ job.

Avoid putting any fats, oils and grease down your drains. These harden as they cool, building up on the walls of your pipes causing stubborn clogs. Instead, set them aside and let them cool before disposing them in the garbage.

TOILET CLOGS

Be sure you have a wastebasket available for guests to throw away trash. You’d be surprised by the items guests put down the toilet! Anything from food to paper plates can easily clog up a toilet drain.

LEAKS

Minor drips or leaks are easy to ignore, but they can grow quickly and turn into a huge mess. Even the smallest leaks can easily waste gallons of water throughout the year if not addressed. Leaks may also be the cause of pipe corrosion, which should be fixed to avoid a pipe rupture later on.