After celebrating Thanksgiving with your family and friends, you’re likely looking forward to scoring great deals on Black Friday. Meanwhile, plumbers will be participating in an annual tradition of their own — Brown Friday. That’s what they call the day after Thanksgiving, the plumbing industry’s busiest day of the year.
Let’s take a look at the most common plumbing problems they’ll tackle this holiday season.
Clogged Kitchen Sink
Your kitchen sink becomes even more important during the holidays. If the sink becomes blocked, preparing meals will be a greater challenge. To avoid this issue, watch what you pour down the drain.
Grease is especially bad. After pouring grease down the drain, it doesn’t take long for it to congeal into a stubborn clog. The best approach is to put the grease in a jar or can and toss it in the trash.
As for your garbage disposal, don’t make the mistake of thinking it can handle everything you toss its way. While some foods will go down easy, others will risk damaging the unit or causing a blockage further down the drain.
Keep These Foods Out of the Disposal
Bones: They won’t grind up. Instead, they’ll get stuck in the pipes, creating a tough obstacle
Fibrous vegetables: Stringy produce such as corn husks, onions and asparagus can become entangled in the blades.
Fruit pits: Like bones, pits won’t chop up.
Pasta: Leftovers from your pasta dishes form a pasty, goopy substance in your drains that won’t wash down easy.
Eggshells: The membrane in the shell gunk up works inside your disposal.
If you encounter a clog, avoid using a chemical drain cleaner. These abrasive products can do more harm than good in the long run. Leave the drain cleaning to the professionals. Plumbers use a variety of methods, such as hydrojetting, to safely and effectively bust up clogs.
Clogged Toilets
When hosting a holiday gathering, expect your toilet to get a good workout. If your guests happen to flush the wrong things down the toilet, you could be facing a very messy situation.
Clogs are best avoided by keeping the wrong things out of the toilet. These include…
- Baby wipes
- Cotton balls
- Q-tips
- Dental floss
- Feminine hygiene products
To be of the safe side, put a friendly reminder on the bathroom wall for visitors to use the proper toilet etiquette. Also, keep a small waste bin beside the sink.
Out of Hot Water
From washing dishes to cooking, you’ll need hot water for a variety of different tasks. A traditional water heater may not be able to handle the extra demand. A cold shower is often the end result. Consider upgrading to a tankless water heater.
This will prove to be one of your best home investments. Not only does a tankless unit last twice as long, but it also provides an unlimited supply of hot water while slashing your utility bill. Superior energy efficiency makes a tankless unit even more rewarding. Over time, you can expect your electrical bill to gradually decrease.
Flooded Bathroom
A bathroom flood is bound to sap your holiday spirit. Just the thought of cleaning up dirty water may send shivers down your spine. However, you can dodge this horror by taking a few precautions ahead of time. Before Thanksgiving arrives, be sure to install drain covers in each bathroom. This simple step will help prevent hair and other stuff from clogging your plumbing pipes. It’s also a good idea to keep a plunger on standby, sparing your guests from an awkward conversation. Moreover, your toilet will suffer less wear and tear in the long run.
We hope you enjoy your time with family and friends. If you run into any plumbing complications, Life Line Plumbing offers 24/7 emergency services. To schedule an appointment, call 281-809-0049.