How to prep your Home for the Holidays from Your Family Plumber

With the holidays already upon us, it is highly likely that with all of your family members visiting and all the food being consumed that you might have a plumbing emergency. It's not just you, it happens to lots of people this time of year every year. It is definitely the busiest time of year for plumbers because drains get clogged, toilets over-flow and garbage disposals break down. (Did we also mention frozen pipes? We will leave that for a different blog post)

This holiday season, D & S Plumbing wants to help you be proactive in preventing any plumbing problems before all of your family comes over to visit.

Here are 6 holiday plumbing saving tips that could help stop a problem before it even starts. If you should have any problems, don't hesitate to reach out to D & S Plumbing. We offer emergency service and can answer questions over the phone too.

1. Home Plumbing Inspections Before the Guests Come
If you are expecting lots of guests, then you probably should get your system inspected before they arrive. Its a good idea to do an inspection once a year but definitely before your system is about to experience much higher use than normal. We will make sure your bathroom fixtures are ready for heavy use with a home plumbing inspection. This will help you avoid any major problems that could arise over the holiday. In fact, you could sign up for our Home Plumbing Protection Plan where we come out regularly to check and inspect your system. Contact us for more info.

2. The Garbage Disposal is NOT Invincible
With leftovers, sometimes it can seem like a good idea to put everything down the disposal. However, your disposal is best used to discard small pieces that end up down your drain, not all of your scraps from cooking or whats leftover on someones plate. D & S Plumbing suggests that you avoid putting any bigger items in the disposal and instead put them in the trashcan. The bullet point below is a list of things we think you should not put down the disposal.

• Coffee grounds, meat, poultry, fish bones, egg shells, pasta, rice, breads, potatoes and peels, sweet potatoes and peels, apple peels, carrots, celery, asparagus, etc.

3.  Grease does not go down the drain
Avoid pouring fats, oils and grease down your drains this season. When these substances go down the drain, they will harden, causing your sewer pipes to clog.

4. Run lots of Cold Water while using your Disposal
Run plenty of cold water while you’re using your garbage disposal, and run it for 30-60 seconds before turning it off. Cold, running water pushes waste down the drain easier. Also, avoid using hot water to melt grease because it solidify and clog the drain. Most people think running Hot Water is better but it is not.

5. Mesh screens can save your drains
  These small screens stop unwanted particles from going down your drain. If you’re cooking in the kitchen, put a mesh screen in your sink and empty it once food particles get stuck. Additionally, it’s also a great idea to put a screen in your bathtub or shower to stop hair from clogging up your drains as well.  (They even make specially designed hair catchers for your shower drains, Click Here )

6. Toilets Clog Easily
With all the friends and family visiting, your toilets will be used more frequently than usual. We encourage you to advise family and friends only to flush toilet paper and not to flush cotton balls, swabs, feminine products, hair or facial scrub pads down the toilet. These items won’t dissolve and can easily cause clogs.