[Updated 2020]
‘Tis the season to be jolly.
So, don’t let your holiday plans go awry with a plumbing mishap. After all, what could be worse than being stuck in the bathroom trying to fix a clogged drain with only minutes to spare before your holiday guests arrive?
It happens more often than you think. Something about getting together with family for the holidays always causes things to go wrong. Joking aside, this really is true when it comes to plumbing.
It makes sense if you think about it. With an influx of guests in the house, you suddenly have more strain on your plumbing system. When taking this into consideration, most people rightly include the bathroom. What they often don’t realize is that their kitchen plumbing also faces considerable strain. The holiday season is the time when many of us do more cooking than we have the whole rest of the year combined. All of that dishwashing and food preparation adds up.
This extra bathroom and kitchen traffic can easily lead to many homeowners’ plumbing systems failing. As a result, the holidays are frequently some of the most hectic times of the year for emergency house calls to plumbing services. Unfortunately, these emergency calls don’t come cheap. They don’t even come at regular rates. Plumbers often charge time and a half during the holidays because their services are stretched so thin. In addition, wait times for available plumbers also go up.
If you want to avoid visions of flooded toilets and sinks dancing in your head this holiday season, check out this list of plumbing tips to avoid a holiday emergency.
Keep Your Drains Clean
Most people’s drains are probably going to be eating as much as they are during the holidays. All that food debris and grease has to go somewhere. At least, it’s supposed to. Many times it simply ends up stuck in pipes. Don’t let yourself make one of the most common mistakes this holiday season. Keep your drains clear by making sure you use a drain strainer for kitchen sink and any other sink where excess debris might be a concern.
Don’t Trash Your Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals are one of the most misused kitchen appliances. This misuse often skyrockets during the holidays.Unfortunately, incorrectly handling your garbage disposal can lead to disastrous results and costly repairs. The best way to avoid this is to ditch the garbage disposal and use your trash can instead, especially for grease and oil. It’s just too easy to get careless and overload your system.
Space Your Showers
Depending on how long your guests are staying for the holidays, showering might be a concern for you and your guests. The most important thing is to have your guests wait around fifteen to thirty minutes to take a shower after someone else has. This will help prevent your system from backing up. It’ll also help ensure that there is enough hot water to go around.
Give the Gift of Trash Bins
Not to your guests! No, make sure you place trash bins in strategic locations around your house. The reason you want to do this is to encourage your guests to throw their trash into them rather than the toilet or sink. Even if you think you already have enough, you may want to think again. In particular, you’ll want to pay attention to the bathrooms and kitchen. In the bathroom, it may help to put a trash bin under the sink and by the toilet. In the kitchen, adding extra trash bins near the sink and close to the entrance is a smart move.
Alvarez Plumbing is a 24 hour plumbing company located in Salinas, CA. We provide residential and commercial plumbing services. If you’re in the Monterey Bay area and need immediate plumbing assistance, call: (831) 291-5358.