The holidays are everyone’s favorite season and also the one they dread the most! The following best practices for maintaining your plumbing can help you avoid some of the stress of this hectic time of year.
Be Proactive
Just as you prepare your car for a long trip, prepare your house for the influx of guests who will be using your plumbing. First, make sure all your fixtures are clean and functioning correctly. If it’s feasible, schedule a plumbing professional to check your exterior pipes, hose bibs, and so forth to ensure you have no leaks or faulty exterior fixtures. Have them check your water heater also to ensure that it’s functioning correctly and set at the proper temperature.
Disposal Do’s
To keep your disposal running well without clogging:
Do:
- Run some ice cubes and citrus through your disposal to eliminate odors.
- Put only small quantities through the disposal while it’s running.
- Dispose only of appropriate foods, no apple cores or cardboard, for example.
Don’t:
- Put stringy stuff in the disposal, such as celery.
- Put grease and oil in the disposal.
- Put fat and bones in the disposal.
Grind up only small amounts of appropriate food. Everything else goes in the garbage can, not the garbage disposal. Hot grease is the worst because it quickly congeals and acts like paste in your drains. Put grease and fat in a metal can or plastic bag to dispose of it properly.
Try to run the dishwasher after you hand-wash everything. Otherwise, you risk clogs since both deices use the same drain.
Traffic Control
Although it’s tempting to have everyone in the kitchen during meal prep, you’re less likely to have a ring, earring, bracelet, or other jewelry dropped in the disposal or down the drain if you limit the traffic in this area.
Toilet Tips
To keep your toilets flushing freely, remind your guests that toilets are for human waste and toilet paper only. The following should never go into the toilet:
- Cigarette butts
- Paper towels or cleansing wipes
- Cotton balls, facial pads, and swabs
- Feminine hygiene products of any type
Put a plunger in each bathroom, just in case you need it.
Cozy Up Your Pipes
During the worst of the winter, you don’t want to wake up to frozen pipes, so make sure to insulate them. If that’s not feasible, leave one faucet open on a very slow drip overnight so the water doesn’t have a chance to freeze.
Additional Precautions
In addition to the above, make sure you have the number of your local plumber available. Be sure to have extra trash cans and plenty of paper products available as well. Know where your main water valve is located and how to shut it off, just in case.
Need to Prep for Holiday Guests?
If you live in the Newnan area and need to get your plumbing ready for the holidays or you later find you have a plumbing emergency while they’re going on, call us at E Dennis.
