The holidays are a joyous time with family and friends. But all those extra guests can put a strain on your home’s plumbing system.
To avoid an emergency call to a plumber this holiday season, follow these Angie’s List tips:
In the kitchen: Big holiday meals require a busy kitchen.
- Avoid pouring fats and cooking oils down your drain. Liquid fats can solidify in the pipes and create clogs.
- Do not put hard to grind waste into the garbage disposal. The disposer has a hard time grinding items such as potato skins, poultry skins, and carrots.
- Use your garbage disposal properly. Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after to flush waste down the main line and turn on the disposer before adding food debris.
In the bathroom: Holiday guests also mean extra showers and a lot of toilet flushes.
- Provide a trash bin so the toilet isn’t used as a garbage can.
- Spread out showers throughout the day. Wait about 10 minutes between showers rather than taking one right after another.
- Turn up the water heater slightly to retain hot water. To avoid scalding, do not exceed 125°F.