The winter holidays are full of visiting friends and relatives. Parties, dinners, gift exchanges and game nights are just a few of the many reasons people get together. With all the extra guests in your home increasing sink, shower, and toilet usage, it’s a good time to take some simple steps to avoid a Griswold-style plumbing catastrophe. Nothing screams disaster like a porta-potty in the front yard!
The most important thing you can do to prevent drains clogging is to make sure they are working correctly before the holidays begin. If you notice a sluggish drain, take the necessary steps to unclog it. If your toilet isn’t flushing properly, have it checked. These aren’t issues that will be fixed with increased usage. In fact, the opposite is true: The more guests you welcome, the more you are overwhelming an already-burdened plumbing system.
Be careful about what you put in your kitchen sink. Never dump fats or cooking oils down the drain; they will solidify in the pipe and cause a blockage. If congealed grease is left in a pan, wipe it out with a paper towel and throw it away. Avoid putting stringy, fibrous, starchy, or hard-to-grind foods in the garbage disposal. (These types of food include celery, pumpkin, banana peels, poultry skins, and carrot and potato peelings.) They can wrap around the blades and keep the motor from turning. Run cold water for at least 15 seconds before and after you turn on the disposal, and always make sure the disposal is running before you add food scraps. Scraping plates into the garbage instead of the sink will save your disposal and dishwasher from potential clogs. And finally, run the dishwasher at night so there will be plenty of hot water for showers in the morning.
In the bathroom, use a shower drain screen to help filter hair and clumps of soap that are notorious for clogging pipes, and be sure to clean it out between showers. Make sure there is a lined wastebasket near the toilet to hold unflushables like sanitary pads, cotton balls, baby wipes, Q-tips, and facial tissue. Nothing should ever go into a toilet except human waste and toilet paper. Follow the 10/10 rule: Keep showers to 10 minutes or less, and wait 10 minutes between each shower so the hot water can replenish itself.
If you find yourself with a drain emergency, the most important thing is to call Drain King right away. We are available 24/7 service emergencies.
