How to Prevent Plumbing Emergencies During The Holidays

It is very important to know how to prevent plumbing emergencies during the holidays. Think about this: Christmas is just around the corner, and in the next few weeks, we’re all probably going to be very busy preparing for the most festive and merry of holidays. It is, after all, that time of the year when there will be a steady influx of friends and family coming over to spend the holidays with you.

With all those people coming over for those Christmas gatherings and dinners, you must realize that your plumbing system is going to take a lot more stress than it did for the entire year. More people around means more people using the bathroom, and Christmas dinners mean more foodstuff going down the garbage disposal. There is no doubt that if there’s one time in the year that you wouldn’t want to have a plumbing emergency at home, it would be during the holidays. You can only imagine the inconvenience, not to mention the embarrassment, of a clogged drain or other plumbing emergencies rearing their ugly head at the height of the Christmas season. To prevent plumbing emergencies during the holidays, here are some of the things you can do.

Be Mindful of Proper Waste Disposal

When it comes to practicing proper waste disposal, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Your garbage disposal is not a trash bin, so never stuff paper, plastic and all kinds of rubbish down it. It’s strictly for leftover foodstuff, but there are also limits as to the kind of foodstuff you can put into it. Fibrous things like corn husks, celery, and potato skins are a big no-no. So are large, uncut pieces of meat and bone, because they could do a number on the blades of the garbage disposal. Speaking of garbage disposal blades, they could also be mucked up by grease and oils, so avoid pouring them into the garbage disposal. Anyone who uses the garbage disposal must also keep in mind to run water for some time to make sure that the garbage disposal clears.

The toilet, like your garbage disposal system, is not a trash bin. That’s why you have to avoid flushing all kinds of trash down the toilet if you don’t want to end up with a clogged one. If you have children, teach them not to throw their toys into it. When the holidays come and you have many guests over, leave a note in the bathroom politely telling them that they shouldn’t dump cigarette butts, wet wipes or any kind of rubbish down the toilet.

Schedule Checkups by a Skilled and Experienced Plumbing Professional

When you have family from out of town spending the night—or even a number of nights—it means more people will be needing hot water for showers. In most cases, water heaters will not be able to catch up with producing hot water for that many people. To make sure everyone gets the hot water they need, spread out showers and give the water heater more time to replenish the hot water supply. It will also be great if you could slightly turn up the heat on the water heater to enable it to retain hot water better.

Flood damage is just one of the problems you’ll be facing if any of your indoor pipes are leaking. That’s why it’s important to check your plumbing for any hint of a leak before they become progressively bigger or worse, just burst. If you find any leaks, plug or replace them immediately. You can either do this yourself, or you can hire a skilled and experienced plumbing professional to do this for you.

It is not unheard of for taps and showerheads to stop functioning normally because of any number of things, including calcium buildup. Now imagine that happening when you have dozens of guests for a Christmas party. If calcium buildup is the problem, you can remove them by soaking the faucet or the showerhead in vinegar. If your faucets and showerheads are already too old, replacing them with new ones is a much better option.

Plumbing emergencies can happen anytime, but if you do any of the tips mentioned above, the chances of them happening over the holidays will be significantly reduced. Then again, if plumbing emergencies do occur despite having taken all possible measures, just give us a call and we’ll send a skilled and experienced plumbing professional your way, regardless of the time and location.