How To Deal With Five Common Holiday Plumbing Problems
Holidays are a time for family and fun, but all those extra people can put stress on your plumbing system.
1. Low Hot Water
More house guests over the holidays can put a toll on your hot water heater, which may be sized for a much smaller family. You can ensure everyone has a hot shower and prevent running out of hot water with some forethought. Run hot water appliances, such as the washing machine, at night when everyone is asleep and there are no other pulls on the hot water. Provide adults with staggered showering times in the morning, and bathe children at staggered times in the evening.
2. Grease Blockages
Holiday food is often much richer than everyday food, which means it may contain more oil, butter, and fats. Compound that with the fact that you are likely cooking more food for more people, and you can end up with greasy sludge blocking your main drain. Grab an empty coffee can and use it to drain off excess grease before washing pans. You can store it in the back of the fridge so it doesn't develop an odor. Further, pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain every few days to dissolve and wash away any grease that does collect.
3. Garbage Disposal Woes
Don't take a shortcut when cleaning up after a marathon cooking session by shoving everything down the drain. Turkey bones, vegetable peels, rice, and pasta can also gum up your garbage disposal. Throw food waste into the garbage and save the garbage disposal for liquids and small amounts of foods that are missed when you scrape the plates.
4. Toilet Backups
More people using the bathroom can lead to more frequent clogs. Make sure to place a lidded trash can in each bathroom so that people can properly dispose of their hygiene items. You can place a small reminder sign to only flush toilet paper on the can. As for young children and toilet paper, you can prevent them from using too much by slightly flattening the roll before placing it on the dispenser. The toilet paper will tear off after a turn so that children are less likely to grab too much.
5. Frozen Pipes
For those going away for the holidays, there is another plumbing issue to avoid—frozen pipes. Make sure your thermostat is set to a lower temperature so that pipes don't freeze if it gets cold outside. If you are worried about power outages, open under-sink cabinet doors before leaving to allow air circulation. Also, open the taps so they are dripping steadily because moving water is less likely to freeze.
Contact a plumbing service for more assistance.