We’re in the middle of holiday season! This often means cooking big feasts and hosting guests in your home. These holiday activities can put a strain on your home’s plumbing in a number of ways. There are ways to ease this strain though, whether in the kitchen, the bathroom, or even the laundry room. Here are 6 quick holiday plumbing tips to prevent a catastrophe during the holidays:
Avoid draining oils down your kitchen sink. Fatty substances such as grease or oil can solidify in your pipes and clog your kitchen’s plumbing, so avoid pouring such substances down the drain. Instead, let cooking oil or grease cool, wipe it up with a paper towel, and dispose of it in the garbage.
Don’t overwork your disposal. Avoid putting bones or fibrous scraps down your disposal. Fibrous scraps can be anything from celery and fruit peels to poultry skin. These fibrous foods are difficult to grind and create the potential for a clogged disposal. Also remember to run cool water before, during, and after grinding to flush your disposal. Don’t overfill your disposal, and always turn the disposal on before putting food scraps into it.
Check washing machine hoses. The hoses that drain and provide water to your clothes washing machine are usually made of rubber, which is prone to drying out and cracking. If they crack or break, they can create a flooding catastrophe in your laundry room. Check these hoses for rotting or cracks, and replace if they’re damaged. Or better yet, install stainless steel hoses to feed and drain your washing machine.
Take breaks between showers. If you’re hosting a lot of house guests this holiday season, try to space out showers. Waiting a few minutes between each shower allows slower pipes to drain, and also affords time for your water heater to recover and produce fresh hot water.
Fix a slow drain ASAP. If you have a drain or pipe that you know is running slow, get it fixed sooner than later. Try retail drain cleaning products, or contact us at RMCat for help. It’s better to get the issue resolved than to wait and risk a completely clogged drain during the worst possible moment, such as a holiday gathering.
Avoid frozen pipes. The holiday months are the cold months, and frozen pipes are one of the most common home catastrophes we encounter here in the Rocky Mountains. Take steps to avoid frozen pipes: disconnect garden hoses from outdoor faucets, keep your thermostat turned to at least 55 degrees even when you’re not home, and insulate pipes in colder areas of your home.
If the unfortunate happens and you do experience a plumbing catastrophe, call us at Rocky Mountain Catastrophe. We can help with plumbing problems, fixing frozen pipes, removing water and drying out property, and fixing any mold or mildew problems that may also arise. We can be there for you 24/7 as well – even on the holidays! Contact us if we can help!
To contact Rocky Mountain Catastrophe, call 970-722-7744 or email [email protected]. In the event of an emergency, call 970-531-7308 in Grand County or 970-819-1239 in Routt County.
