This November, Eco Plumbers is collecting cans from the homes that we service to donate to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Service with us will help your local community in need. Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends to cook, eat and be thankful. Everyone spends Thursday enjoying the holiday festivities. And some people spend Friday working through plumbing issues.
Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for residential plumbers. The additional strain on disposals and dishwashers during cooking and cleaning can cause plumbing problems in the kitchen. Bathrooms and washing machines take a hit too while trying to accommodate guests.
Luckily, there are ways to combat potential plumbing issues before and during the holiday. Below we have several tips for keeping your pipes squeaky clean this Thanksgiving.
Use the Trash Can – During cooking, avoid the temptation to put everything down the garbage disposal. Poultry skins, fibrous and starchy waste should be put into the trashcan instead. Potato skins and fibrous vegetables such as celery are hard for your garbage disposal to break down. Given that there will be large amount of these items, it is best to put them in the trash can.
Keep Grease Away – Hot grease goes down the drain easily, but once it cools it can solidify in pipes and create clogs. Pour grease into bottles or cups that can be thrown away in the garbage can. Wipe down greasy pans with paper towels before rinsing them down in the sink.
Run the Water and the Disposal – Be sure not to load up the garbage disposal with waste before starting it. Keep it running as you put waste into it to keep the flow of waste into and out of it steady. Also, keep the water running while the disposal is running and after it is turned off. This helps aid the flow of waste through the disposal.
Wait to Use the Dishwasher – Dishes may be piling up in the sink, but try to put off using the dishwasher until later in the evening. The dishwasher discharges into the disposal and may cause plumbing issues if the disposal is overloaded.
Keep Showers Short – If you are planning on having the whole family over to stay at your house for the holiday, remember that extra strain will be placed on your showers and toilets. Advise guests to keep showers short to aid with the flow of extra waste through the plumbing. Short showers will also place less strain on water heaters and other pipes.
Check Your Drains in Advance – The best way to prevent plumbing problems is to have your drains and pipes checked in advance. Plumbers can usually identify and fix potential plumbing problems that would be catastrophic on Thanksgiving Day. Make sure to have a plumber out weeks in advance so that plumbing problems can be resolved well before the holiday arrives.
Plumbing problems are never fun to deal with, and they are especially cumbersome during the holiday season. Keep your guests happy and take some stress out of an already busy day by having your plumbing and disposal checked in advance.
Ensure that you don’t spend the day after Thanksgiving working on, and paying for, plumbing problems by following these tips.
