When winter hits, everyone gets busy prepping their house for holiday gatherings and good cheer. Don’t forget that your plumbing needs some preparation, too. You don’t want a plumbing emergency to hit at this extra-busy time of year.
The holidays can take an extra toll on your Mesquite, TX home’s plumbing system. Don’t let stopped-up drains, clogged toilets, or cold showers cast a dark cloud over your holiday gatherings. The following three tips will ensure your plumbing is ready to handle the extra load this holiday season.
1. Protect Your Kitchen Drain and Garbage Disposal
The kitchen in your Mesquite, TX home is often a main holiday activity hub for food preparation and related activities. During this season, be extra careful about what goes down your kitchen drain and the garbage disposal to prevent a clogged drain disaster.
Avoid putting food items like onion skins and coffee grounds down the garbage disposal. These items can get caught in the disposal’s blades or create a sludge that can block the drain. Scraping large amounts of rice and pasta or any other foods that swell with water may necessitate a call for clogged drain service.
After cooking, avoid pouring oil or cooking grease down your drain. If you must, only use cold water to wash it down. Run your garbage disposal often, using cold water, and let it run a little bit longer to ensure that all of the food has been ground and rinsed down the drain.
2. Don’t Put off Calling a Plumber for Clogged Drains
Address any clogs immediately, and check to see if showers, sinks, and toilets are all draining and flushing quickly. Slow draining is a sign that the drainpipe is narrowing, likely due to an impending clog. You will feel less stressed about the family staying the night when your home has almost no risk of overflow disasters.
Uncleared, clogged drains also leave sitting water inside your pipes. The clogged pipe produces smells, dirty water, bacteria, and mold or mildew spores.
The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to remove some clogs. If you have a small leak in a pipe, a clogged drain can create pressurized pockets of water and air. These pockets burden your pipes heavily, exacerbating small leaks or creating new ones. This issue leads to new leaks or a more significant leak and water damage to your home.
3. Be Proactive About Checking for Plumbing Leaks
Hire a plumber to perform water heater maintenance and a leak detection service before the holidays. Many of your home’s pipes are hidden underground and behind walls, making leaks hard to spot right away.
By the time you see the signs of a leaky pipe or water heater, the water damage could already be quite extensive. Having your floors and drywall torn out during the holidays is another disaster, and it does not make a good backdrop for festive holiday gatherings.
Head off Holiday Plumbing Disasters Before They Happen
Survey your home and look for any evidence of leaks, clogs, slow drains, or other issues. Schedule a plumber to come out and give your plumbing a check-up and perform a leak detection service.
You will get your plumbing ready to handle the added workload of holiday activities and the cold Mesquite, TX winter weather. You’ll also have the peace of mind that comes with being proactive.
Schedule an appointment, and our highly trained, certified plumbers will service your plumbing so you can avoid any holiday disasters. Call us today!
