Tips to Save Your System This Thanksgiving
As plumbers prepare for their busiest time of year, our resident guru offers insight that could save your system. From grease and garbage disposals to when to run your dishwasher, keep reading for some helpful tips.
Believe it or not, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for residential plumbing companies. Even in a year that’s been anything but normal, it’s still expected that even the households eating amongst themselves will still having a plumbing system running at full speed.
To help you avoid plumbing catastrophes this holiday, check out these tips:
Get Your Home Ready
If you have time between now and Thanksgiving, give a plumber a call about any current issues you may be experiencing. If they’re able to make it to your house to resolve them before the holiday then you’re less likely to experience major and costly issues.
Keep It Out of the Kitchen
One of the biggest plumbing issues on Thanksgiving is with objects going down a drain that shouldn’t be. Jewelry, watches, toys, silverware, and broken glass are the most common items. But when you limit the amount of activity in the kitchen it’s easier to prevent these things from going down the drain.
Properly Dispose of Grease
It’s never a good idea to dump grease down the drain or garbage disposal. Once it cools down it gets solid and can back up your pipes. The best way to get rid of grease is to pour it in a mason jar or plastic bag and throw it in the trash when you’re done.
Garbage Disposals Aren’t Garbage Bags
Don’t let your garbage disposal become a catch-all for food waste this holiday. There are several foods that can cause plumbing issues and you want to make sure you aren’t tossing things in the garbage disposal that can cause backups or damage to your pipes. These food items include: celery, potato peels, eggshells, bones, coffee grounds, pasta or noodles, and fruit pits.
Don’t Run the Dishwasher
If you’ve been using the garbage disposal a lot, it’s suggested that you hold off on running the dishwasher as they share the same drain. In some instances, if you use your garbage disposal while the dishwasher is running you can end up with food waste in your wash cycle. You will also want to avoid the dishwasher if you’re already having garbage disposal issues as this can cause flooding.
Don’t Flush Wet Wipes
Wet wipes aren’t made to dissolve like toilet paper, so you want to make sure there aren’t any non-dissolvable wipes being flushed down the toilet. This can cause a serious backup with your sewer system and a mess you don’t want to deal with ever, let alone on a holiday. You also want to make sure you aren’t flushing items like: cotton balls, Q-tips, napkins or facial tissues, feminine products, paper towels, and facial cleaning/makeup remover wipes.
