3 Plumbing Tips for Hosting Guests Over the Holidays
The holiday season is knocking on your door in Lebanon.
If it’s Thanksgiving Day, let it in with all the joy and feasting you can muster. If it’s Brown Friday, with its clogged toilets, overflowing drains, and gummed-up garbage disposals, shoo it away fast.
Here at Blue Fox Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing, we want to help you avoid Brown Friday, which some plumbers claim is one of the busiest service days of the year, and enjoy the holiday season free of pipe, drain, and fixture issues.
Whether your Thanksgiving Day activities include running the Gobble Wobble 5K in West Lafayette with family and friends, or shopping at Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt a day later, you want your holiday guests to feel comfortable and welcome during the main celebration in your home—without straining your plumbing.
Is Thanksgiving Bad for My Plumbing?
Brown Friday occurs the day after Thanksgiving and results from added pressure on drains and water supplies during the holiday. With more people in your home, your garbage disposal will get a workout, especially if you plan to cook for a crowd.
Your household will use more water washing dishes and flushing toilets. Overnight guests mean additional showers that can stress an older water heater. The added stress can lead to clogs and other issues.
Angi, the home improvement online platform, says plumbing issues spike nearly 40 percent on Brown Friday.
Blue Fox can help you avoid holiday-related plumbing issues. We offer 24-hour emergency plumbing services throughout Central Indiana in addition to preventative maintenance services, repairs, and installation. Plus, we’ve compiled a few holiday plumbing tips for your Lebanon, home.
Tip 1: Kitchen Sink and Disposal Care
Your kitchen sink is the main culprit for seasonal plumbing disasters. While preparing your holiday feast or cleaning up afterward, food byproducts such as potato peels and turkey grease can easily end up in your garbage disposal and drain, setting the stage for drain clogs.
Grease: Hot grease, fat, and oil can solidify in your pipes as they cool. These sticky substances catch other food debris that slips into your drain. Instead, let grease and fats solidify in a jar or disposable cup and toss the container into the garbage.
Fiber and Starches: Keep potato peels, celery stalks, and onion skins out of your disposal. Starchy foods like pasta can become sticky and dense, easily jamming the unit. Scrape food waste into the trash before putting cookware and dinnerware in the dishwasher. Run water while grinding if you use it for a few items.
Coffee Grounds: Don’t even think about it!
If guests are helping themselves to brewing coffee and contributing to food prep, explain your kitchen drain and disposal rules. Consider posting a sign listing the foods that go into the garbage, not the drain.
Avoid using harsh chemical drain cleaners, which can damage pipes. Instead, try a little hot water with dish soap to flush minor grease blockages.
If your kitchen sink is draining slowly, use your cup-shaped sink plunger to dislodge the clog. Take care of a minor blockage before it grows and interferes with your holiday food preparations.
If plunging does not resolve the problem or if all of your drains are slow, your sewer line may be blocked. It’s time to call in a professional to inspect and clear debris, including tree roots and hardened deposits.
You don’t have to wait for a clog to form before cleaning your drains! Schedule a drain cleaning before the holidays to ensure they operate smoothly this holiday season.
Tip 2: Bathroom Drain and Toilet Care
Invest in a few drain screens for sinks, tubs, and showers in your Lebanon, home. These simple, inexpensive, and practical tools will keep hair and other debris out of your drains.
Clog-proof your toilet by telling guests what they can and can’t flush:
Toilet Paper: Flush it!
Wipes: Don’t flush! We know it is tempting to dispose of wipes in the toilet because their packaging typically claims they are flushable. However, they do not disintegrate like toilet paper and are likely to clog your drain.
Other Items: Cotton balls and swabs, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, wipes, and any other items you might consider flushing, belong in the trash.
Place a trash can and a plunger near the toilet. Post a sign on the trash can lid reminding guests of toilet do’s and don’ts.
If you do end up with a minor toilet clog, choose a flanged plunger—not a cup-style plunger—to clear the drain. Plunge and pull up forcefully a few times until the drain clears. If the clog remains, let our plumbing experts at Blue Fox lend a hand. Drain clearing and clog-busting are among our specialties!
Tip 3: TLC for Your Water Heater
A house full of guests means more showers, more dishes, and more laundry. All this extra activity makes significant demands on your water heater. Take some of the pressure off your heater:
Showers: Schedule showers 15 to 20 minutes apart to give the heater time to recover and refill.
Dishwasher: Run it after everyone has showered so you don’t deplete the hot water supply, or wait until evening after everyone is in bed.
Laundry: Save large loads of laundry for the evening or the day after your guests leave.
Give yourself peace of mind by scheduling a water heater tune-up and plumbing maintenance with Blue Fox. A pre-holiday inspection can determine if your unit is operating at peak efficiency and capable of handling holiday demands.
We can flush sediment, check pipe pressure and water flow in your home, and catch minor issues before they lead to cold showers.
Prepare Your Plumbing for the Holidays
The holidays bring a unique mix of good cheer and plumbing strain to your Lebanon, IN, home. Take time now to prepare your plumbing system for guests and avoid costly repairs down the road. Blue Fox Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing can help you minimize stress by maintaining your water heater and cleaning your drains now. Call us for service at 765-400-3849 or request service online.