Seasonal Tips for Winter

12/1/20093:16:44 PM Link |  | Add comment

The holidays are coming, bringing together family, friends, and a few plumbing emergencies.  A majority of Americans take part in holiday parties with 11 or more guests around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  These extra guests put a serious strain on a home's septic system which results in more evergency calls to us.

Big holiday meals require a busy kitchen.  Too much grease and food finds its way into the kitchen drain or disposal.  Holiday guests equates to extra showers, baths and lots of extra toilet flushes.  It all adds up to potential plumbing disasters.  Pipes clog because of a gradual buildup of grease, hair, soap or food particles.  All it takes is one major overload, like a house full of guests, to exasperate the situation and create a clogged drain.

Holiday Tips:

• Avoid pouring fats or cooking oils down the drain because liquid fats solidify in the pipes and create clogs.  Wipe congealed grease from pots.
• Never put hard-to-grind, stringy, fibrous waste into the garbage disposal (poultry skins, carrots, celery, pumpkin pulp or banana peels).  The disposal can't sufficiently grind these items and they will clog your sink drain.
• Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposal to flush waste down the main line.
• Turn on the disposal before adding food debris.
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine at night or at off times to conserve water temperature and pressure for your guests.