While some people go out shopping on Black Friday others are dealing with their plumbing issues leftover from Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day for residential plumbing companies. Thanksgiving means many families are experiencing more kitchen activities and cooking for their visiting guests. More guests generally means there’s a greater usage of bathrooms which can cause overall strain to your plumbing as well.
Here are some tips to help you keep your plumbing working and flowing during the increased home activity that comes with the holidays and Thanksgiving.
1. Make Sure Your Home Is Ready
Don’t put off a non-urgent plumbing issue going into the holiday seasons. It is common for homeowners to ignore a non-urgent problem until right before an event or holiday. The problem is during these times is where they can develop into something serious and ruin a family gathering.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, call Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup to fix your non-urgent plumbing problem before it becomes a larger issue while you are hosting. Plumbing needs maintenance like anything else and scheduling sink, toilet, shower, and water heater repairs before a family visit can go a long way.
There are also measures you can take to ensure that your home has a larger supply of hot water for guest visits. If this interests you, call Roto-Rooter today for a free estimate and explore all the options we have to offer.
2. Reduce Kitchen Traffic
Believe it or not, many of the calls that occur on or just after Thanksgiving have to do with foreign objects getting stuck in drains. Jewelry. Watches. Toys. Silverware. Broken glass. The list goes on.
One way to avoid these types of issues to reduce traffic in your kitchen. It’s normal for friends and family to want to help out in the kitchen or gather for conversations or drinks, but encouraging guests to use other spaces for socializing can help reduce distractions, accidents and plumbing disasters. This will also help give you space for whatever you are cooking by not having 3x the normal amount of people in the kitchen.
3. Properly Dispose of Grease
NO GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN! Cooking results in grease and grease spells BIG trouble for your plumbing. While it’s hot, grease seems like just another harmless liquid to pour down the drain. But as grease cools, it congeals (becomes solid) and can cause blockages in not only your kitchen drain but your overall pipes.
So make sure you dispose of grease the proper way following your Thanksgiving cooking: pour it into an extra mason jar or a plastic bag and toss it in the garbage when you’re done.
4. Don’t Treat Your Garbage Disposal like a Garbage Bag
Preparing a large meal means juggling a bunch of different responsibilities in the kitchen and that often means we look for places to cut corners and save time. Too often, that means using our garbage disposal as a catch-all for food waste.
Yet there are a number of food products that can cause garbage disposal issues:
- Celery (and other fibrous foods)
- Potato peels
- Eggshells
- Bones
- Coffee grounds
- Pasta or noodles
- Fruit pits
5. Wait to Use Your Dishwasher
If you didn’t know, your dishwasher and garbage disposal share the same drain. It is very important to keep this in mind before running your next load of Thanksgiving dishes and silverware. Running your garbage disposal while your dishwasher is running can mean food waste can end up in your wash cycle.
It’s also important to realize that if you are experiencing a garbage disposal issue—like a blockage—it’s important not to run your dishwasher. Often times the blockage will create flooding caused by water trying to exit your dishwasher into the clogged drain.
6. Keep Wet Wipes Out of the Toilet
If you provide wet wipes for your guests in the bathroom, make sure that they know that they should be thrown away—not flushed. Toilet paper is specifically designed to dissolve in water so that it is unlikely to cause a clog. Other items… are not. The only thing that should be flushed is Toilet paper – regardless if the wipes or items say “flushable”. Non-dissolving items can get caught in the pipes and cause blockages.
A few other things that shouldn’t be flushed:
- Cotton balls
- Q-tips
- Napkins or facial tissue (kleenex)
- Feminine products
- Paper towels
- Facial cleansing/makeup remover wipes
7. Cut Down on Shower Time
If you’re having multiple guests stay over Thanksgiving weekend, try to be mindful of who’s showering when and for how long. Few things tax water pressure and plumbing in your house, so if there are multiple showers occurring at once—or showers occurring while you’re trying to do other water-dependent tasks like dishwashing–it could mean a shortage of hot water… and no one likes a cold shower!
If you are concerned about your water heater functionality or capacity, call Roto-Rooter for a free estimate. A Roto-Rooter technician will provide multiple options that best suite your needs or wants for your home. No one likes a cold shower on a holiday!