Prepare Your Plumbing for the Holidays
The Holiday Season is upon us once again. It’s that time of year we’re all busy planning meals, buying gifts, and organizing memorable gatherings with loved ones. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve around the corner, you probably couldn’t care less about mundane things around the house.
Like the plumbing!
While the topic is not always on your mind, the holiday season can be particularly harsh on your plumbing system, what with all the extra cooking, houseguests, and cooler temperatures outside!
The last thing you need is a blocked-up kitchen sink or an overflowing toilet to put a damper on the festivities. That’s not the kind of surprise anybody expects during the holidays. That’s why so many families find themselves in need of holiday plumbing services.
Common Holiday Plumbing Problems and How To Prevent Them
The day after Thanksgiving is often the busiest day of the year for plumbers. It’s when we get the most calls to fix issues like blocked drains, toilet backups, and malfunctioning garbage disposals.
With that in mind, let’s explore the most common holiday plumbing problems and steps you can take to avoid them.
Clogged Drains
Our favorite holiday meal items like oil, grease, and leftover food scraps can all lead to stoppages. The resulting strain on your plumbing system can cause a minor issue in your drain to blow up into a full-fledged problem, especially in older drain systems. Add to that the extra showers and toilet paper flushing during the holidays, and you have all the makings of a major plumbing emergency.
How to Avoid: Do not put oil, grease, or fat down the garbage disposal or drain. These items go in the trash.
Overloaded Garbage Disposals
The extra food we cook during the Holiday Season can strain garbage disposal systems. Even the meanest of them has its limits. They cannot completely pulverize items like fibrous foods, nuts, eggshells, bones, and fruit pits. These scraps must go into the trash can, not the garbage disposal.
How to Avoid: Use plenty of water any time you use the disposal. Don’t overload the disposal. Make sure to put small amounts of food in it and wait for it to clear before loading more food into it. Leave the water running 20-30 seconds after the food clears the disposal. This will help keep your drain running smoothly.
Scrape plates into the trash rather than the kitchen sink to avoid clogging your garbage disposal. A wire mesh strainer can prevent unwanted debris from falling down the drain.
Blocked Toilets
More people in the house means more use of the toilet, which is bound to strain the system. Then there’s the issue of too much toilet paper being flushed down. If there are small children around, you can also expect the occasional rubber ducky and other toys to make their way down the toilet and block it up. Finally, some people are used to treating the toilet as a secondary trash can for all inappropriate objects, from dental floss to wet wipes or whatever may fall into the toilet that a guest may not want to retrieve.
How to Avoid: Avoid buying the thickest toilet paper brands. Many of these don’t dissolve in water, as well as some more cost-effective, thinner versions don’t. Keep a plunger at hand to fix minor clogs.
Frozen Pipes
Frozen pipes are an all-too-common problem in Texas during the Holiday Season, with frequent calls for winter plumbing maintenance. Plumbing lines here are routinely installed along exterior walls, which makes them prone to freezing and bursting from ice buildup. Frozen plumbing pipes can lead to many problems, from leaks and water damage to equipment failure.
How to Avoid: Install winter pipe insulation in crawl spaces and attics. Use foam insulation or pipe sleeves for indoor pipes and heat tapes for plumbing lines along outdoor walls. Maintain a consistently warm temperature inside your home. Know how to shut off the main water supply to your home. Locate the shut-off valve and be sure it is in good working order before temperatures dip below freezing.
Leaky Faucets and Fixtures
They may not be limited to the holiday season, but leaky faucets and fixtures can be especially annoying when ‘tis the season to be jolly and you have guests over. They are usually caused by one of four reasons: loose parts as a result of general wear and tear or a worn-out spring; a fatigued gasket or o-ring that seals gaps between internal parts; a corroded valve seat that prevents a good seal to the washer; a loose washer that vibrates or doesn’t seal to the seat.
How to Avoid: Perform regular maintenance and keep the area around faucets and other bathroom fixtures dry to avoid corrosion. Check for leaks regularly and replace faulty parts like cartridges, washers, and o-rings immediately.
Pre-Holiday Plumbing Checklist
As we’ve seen, the Holiday Season can be tough on plumbing systems. You need to take action now if you don’t want a cold shower to dampen your spirits or a flooded room to spoil your mood.
Here’s what you can do to take plumbing issues completely off your mind during the holidays:
- Inspect and Clean Your Drains: Use a plunger to clear minor clogs. If you encounter stubborn blockages, use a drain snake.
- Check for Leaks in Pipes and Faucets: Even a minor drip can escalate under heavy usage, so check all pipes and faucets.
- Test Your Water Heater: Check that your water heaters run properly before the holidays, ensuring that guests do not experience cold showers when they are in town.
- Prepare Your Toilets for Heavy Usage: Check each toilet for weak water flow or leaks. Make sure they all flush properly.
- Know How to Shut Off Your Home’s Water: Ensure you know how to shut off your home’s water properly in an emergency, such as a pipe burst.
If you encounter any issues or are unsure everything is in top working order, schedule a professional plumbing inspection before the holidays.
Call Legacy for Holidays Free From Plumbing Issues
Holiday-ready plumbing is often all it takes to ensure complete peace of mind during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
Legacy Plumbing’s award-winning services are backed by years of experience and a team of expert professionals ready to handle all your plumbing needs – from simple fixture replacements to extensive system overhauls.
We’ll do whatever it takes to prevent plumbing issues from spoiling your holiday spirit!
Give us a call today for a merry and flawless holiday season.
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