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It’s Murphy’s Law, right? You have guests and family over for a big holiday celebration thing and the next thing you know chaos ensues. You have a plumbing problem. Here are a few tips on how to avoid these holiday plumbing emergencies.
The only thing worse than dealing with a clogged toilet is being the one who has a toilet in someone else’s home. Talk about embarrassing. It’s important to note that toilets can easily get clogged. Therefore, avoid flushing items such as hair, paper towels, disposable diapers, feminine products, cat litter, and other materials that can obstruct your pipes. Fortunately, it’s one of the easier plumbing problems to fix—usually, a plunger will get things flowing again (so be sure to keep one in every bathroom). But sometimes you have to deal with a clog that is much worse and that may require a call to your plumber.
Holidays are Public Enemy # 1 to garbage disposals. Why? It’s simple really, we put the wrong things down them and then they stop working, break a blade, or get clogged. To prevent damage to your disposal, learn what you should not put down such as leftover mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, grease, potato or carrot peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, and bones. Your best bet is to make good use of the kitchen trash bin.
It is easy to run out of hot water when you are fixing a large meal and have a house full of people. Keep morning showers short and don’t run hot water in the kitchen when it is not required. It is a good idea to be smart about when you run your dishwasher, do so after other hot water needs have been addressed. You may not have enough capacity to handle large gatherings and may need a bigger water heater.
Regular flushing and filling of your water heater are essential to prevent the accumulation of sediment. This maintenance practice can also help identify broken parts or prevent elements from burning out, making it a proactive approach to ensuring the longevity of your water heater.
Dishwasher Failure
After all that cooking, there is going to be a lot of cleaning to be done. Your dishwasher is the star of kitchen clean-up, so it’s essential to use and maintain it properly. You can prevent the inconvenience of a dishwasher breakdown by loading it properly. And while it’s very tempting, don’t load your dishwasher past capacity when you’re cleaning up after a long meal. Not only can overloading your dishwasher prevent dishes from being cleaned thoroughly enough, but it can also cause a flood on your kitchen floor. It’s important to scrape off excess food to keep the jets and drains from becoming clogged. However, don’t over-rinse the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. The enzymes in today’s dishwasher detergents require some food residue in order to activate.
Clogged drain: Dealing with a clogged drain is a lot like dealing with a clogged toilet. But it could be an easier fix if the clog is located in the j-trap (the j-shaped pipe under your sink). Before you go taking apart pipes, try using a chemical drain cleaner. If that doesn’t work, try snaking the pipe. If the clog still doesn’t dislodge, take apart the j-trap to see if the obstruction is there. If it isn’t, the clog is farther down the line, and you’ll need to call a plumber for holiday plumbing emergencies.
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