The holidays have arrived—which means more celebrations, more people in your home, and more opportunities for plumbing nightmares. Here are some tips for keeping your holiday gatherings merry and bright—rather than stressful and soggy.
Keep an Eye on the Garbage Disposal
Everyone loves Aunt Sally, but if she (or anyone else) is “helping” in the kitchen, you’ll want to keep an eye on your garbage disposal.
- Before your guests arrive, put some ice and rock salt into the disposal, and run it for a couple of minutes. If there’s any gunk in the unit, the ice and salt will break it up and allow the blades to spin more freely and efficiently.
- Remember to start a stream of cool water before sending scraps down the drain.
- Cut large food waste into small pieces.
- When it sounds like the disposal has finished grinding everything, run the water a few seconds longer to make sure all the debris is washed away.
- Never pour grease or oil into the disposal.
- Potato peelings belong in the trash can, not the garbage disposal.
- If the disposal suddenly sounds like it’s full of jingle bells, turn it off, unplug it, and follow our DIY repair tips.
Avoid Embarrassing Toilet Moments
There’s nothing worse than standing in someone’s bathroom, begging the toilet to not overflow. To prevent creating a “Remember that time Grandpa clogged the toilet on Christmas Eve” legend:
- Leave a helpful note for guests if the toilet is bah-humbug-ish. Hints like “Hold the handle down for five full seconds, please” will be greatly appreciated.
- Make sure the flush valve and chain are working properly.
- Check for leaks in and around the toilet.
- Test the water shut-off valve to make sure it still turns—just in case.
- Leave a clean plunger in plain view—again, just in case.
Be Sure to Winterize
Baby, it’s cold outside, and you’ll have a mess on your hands if your pipes freeze and burst during your holiday get-together.
- Insulate any exposed pipes—particularly those near exterior walls and in unheated areas of your home.
- Leave kitchen and bathroom sink cabinet doors open if they’re on exterior walls.
- Detach garden hoses from exterior faucets and drain them. Be sure to winterize outdoor spigots if they aren’t frost-free.
- Make sure you know where your main water shut-off is.
Pre-Treat Your Drains
More people in your home means more water going through your pipes. If there’s build-up in your drains, they’ll be sluggish, which is inconvenient at best. Fortunately, you can do some preventive maintenance to ensure your guests have themselves a merry little Christmas:
- Pour ½ cup of baking soda into every drain, followed by ½ cup of vinegar.
- Cover the drain openings, and allow the mixture to soak for 20 minutes.
- Rinse with hot water.
Prepare for Extra Shower Use
If you’ll have overnight guests:
- Consider protecting shower drains with a strainer to prevent hair clogs.
- If the water pressure is weak in the guest bathroom, try soaking the showerhead in white vinegar for an hour.
- Prevent Jack Frost nipping at your guests’ noses by turning up your water heater just a bit (no more than 120 degrees, though).
Need helping getting your plumbing holiday-ready? St. Louis-area homeowners have trusted Maplewood Plumbing and Sewer with their preventive maintenance and emergency plumbing needs for more than 30 years. Give us a call at 314-207-2503 or fill out the contact form here for more information or to request a bid.
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