The team at Blue Star agrees that the holidays are much happier without the stress of a plumbing disaster. Your plate might be full planning for your extended family or preparing for the big Thanksgiving meal. The hullabaloo of the holidays makes it difficult to think about your plumbing.
Now is the time to rely on the plumbing experts for their professional recommendations, and we know just the team. Believe it or not, we get several calls during the holidays because homeowners didn’t take the time to care for their plumbing. Once you’ve gotten through the holiday bonanza, don’t let your first call be Blue Star. Get everyone on board for the following plumbing Do’s and Don’ts.
Don’t: Pour grease down the drain.
Grease is a significant problem in homes across the country, even if we exclude the holiday cooking craze. Grease solidifies once it cools. The globs of grease in your pipes will grow bigger and bigger as more debris gets stuck. Pouring grease down your sink will cause clogs. Collect it and throw it away instead.
Don’t: Let your house guests flush whatever they want down the toilet.
If you have relatives coming over, it might be a good idea to hang a sign in the guest bathrooms laying out what can and cannot be flushed down the toilet. As a reminder, only waste and toilet paper go in the toilet. Don’t let your guests flush sanitary napkins, tissues, cotton balls, or anything other than toilet paper.
Don’t: Dispose of food scraps with your garbage disposal.
It might help to think of your disposal as a grinder for food, not a shredder. It can’t handle turkey bones or even tough skins like those of potatoes and corn. Keep these more durable objects out of your disposal.
Do: Run cold water when using your garbage disposal.
Warm food is harder to grind up for your disposal. Running cold water solidifies food and helps clear it from the disposal once pulverized.
Do: Flush your water heater.
It’s getting colder, more people will be at home, and guests will use however much hot water they want. Now is the time to get your water heater flushed by a professional. A seasonal water heater flush keeps your water heater running efficiently so you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water.
Do: Insulate your pipes if you plan to visit others.
With the cold weather coming, your pipes need a winter coat of their own. Usually, your heating system insulates your indoor plumbing, but if you’re visiting family for the holidays, you may be tempted to set your thermostat as low as possible.
Before you turn your home into a tundra, however, consider giving your pipes a little more protection. Set your thermostat to at least 60 degrees to keep the water in your pipes from freezing. That way, you won’t come home to a flooded basement.
Just a little extra home care can go a long way this holiday season, and if all goes well, you won’t hear one peep from your in-laws about the lack of hot water. For all your plumbing needs, know that Blue Star is here to help!