Avoiding a Holiday Plumbing Emergency
Wichita Plumbers’ Tips to Save a Holiday Party from Disaster
Holiday Plumbing Problems
Are you having guests over for the holidays? The winter holidays are the biggest time for getting together with friends and family. In fact, over Thanksgiving alone, studies show half of all Americans plan to travel. More than 40 million turkeys will be consumed on this day.
Fun Fact: Black Friday is the busiest day for plumbers in America.
It is actually the day after Thanksgiving that is the busiest for plumbers like ours at Frederick Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning.
Why is Black Friday so busy for plumbers? Well, think about what just happened the day before. All the families across Wichita who hosted wonderful big holiday parties have sure put a toll on your home.
Not only is there a big mess to clean up, quite likely, but there is a log happening that you can’t see – in your pipes. All your holiday guests and all that extra food has put a strain on your drain and other parts of your home’s plumbing systems.
How Thanksgiving & Christmas Affects your Plumbing System
- Toilets get flushed more
- More showers are taken
- Those toilets & showers that are hardly getting used will be relied upon
- More fats and foods will go down the drain, making your garbage disposal work more
- Chances are higher that someone could flush something they shouldn’t
A lot of families in Wichita and across the country are likely going to find themselves with urgent plumbing problems over the winter holidays. And while more of you will call plumbers like ours at Frederick Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, there are likely not enough plumbers in the Wichita area to handle everyone’s plumbing problems as fast as homeowners in need would like.
7 Tips to Avoid a Holiday Plumbing Disaster
- Place a plunger in each of your bathrooms
- Never flush wet wipes down a toilet. Never. Not even the ones that claim to be flushable. Remove any wipes packages from your bathrooms to prevent anyone from flushing them.
- Do not use the garbage disposal for garbage. Throw all food waste in the trash and NOT in the garbage disposal.
- Don’t let fatty liquids go down your pipes. Keep out a jar to hold the fats and cooking oils you need to dispose of. Never pour these down the drain.
- Put a sink strainer in your kitchen sink. This will keep large food waste from going down and stop any items (toys, jewelry, utensils, broken glass, etc.) from accidentally going doing the drain.
- Wait to use your dishwasher. Your garbage disposal and dishwasher use the same drain, so running the disposal while the washer is going could mean food waste can end up on your dishes.
- Have a plumber’s phone number saved in your phone. Put Frederick’s phone number in your phone right now – (316) 262-3713. If you run into a plumbing emergency, calling us quickly may help you get service faster than those who must track down the number of a Wichita plumber.
Keeping Your Kitchen Running
While you may be enjoying a delicious holiday meal, a lot of those wonderful dishes are filled with things that should never, ever go down your drain. Some foods are difficult for a garbage disposal to grind up. Others turn solid and become a blockage later.
Some foods you should NEVER put down your disposal:
- Eggshells
- Bones
- Pasta
- Rice
- Coffee
- Celery
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Grease, Oil, Fat
Avoiding a Holiday Bathroom Plumbing Emergency
Will you have a lot of visitors staying with you during the holidays? That can create a whole bunch of plumbing issues, especially with the need for more hot water.
Plumber’s Advice: Set a 15-minute shower rule.
Make sure there are at least 15 minutes between showers, even if taken in separate bathrooms. This doesn’t just make sure the water heater tank has filled up enough for the next person to hop in the bathtub, but it also helps ensure there has been enough time for the drains to clear.
Plumber’s Advice: Look for issues now
Have you noticed any issues or problems with your sinks or tubs as you’re getting the house ready for the holidays? Try using one of those rarely-used bathrooms or showers a few times. Test it now so you don’t have to wonder if something is wrong with your plumbing.
If you notice any problems, call the plumbers at Frederick Plumbing today at (316) 262-3713. What may be an easy fix now could turn into a big mess later when the whole family is over.
If A Holiday Plumbing Emergency Happens…
Frederick is available to provide plumbing and heating service on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and any day of the year! If you find yourself dealing with a plumbing emergency, call on us for emergency service.