Tips For Avoiding Holiday Drain Disasters
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and this is one of the most common times for homeowners to experience drain and plumbing issues. Unfortunately, with the guests and traffic of the holiday season comes a lot of wear and tear on your plumbing system. The more proactive you are about preventing problems, the easier your holiday season will be on your home. Here are a few tips to help your plumbing system get through the upcoming months.
Start With A Flush
One of the biggest issues for homeowners is a small, existing clog turning into a large and troublesome one with the increased flow through the plumbing. You can minimize the risk of this by scheduling a drain flush with your local plumber before the holiday season gets into full swing. The flush and cleaning will eliminate anything that's already started to form in your drains, reducing your risk of backups or disaster.
Be Careful About Waste
If you will have a lot of guests in and out of your home, you need to be careful about how waste is handled in the house. Make sure that you provide waste baskets for everything other than toilet paper. Place waste baskets in the bathroom, guest bedrooms, and even in the main hallways so that guests have a place to throw things away. This reduces the risk of tissues and other items ending up down the toilet.
Offer only plumbing-safe toilet paper in the bathroom. Don't leave any kind of baby wipes or flushable wipes in there, because those will find their way into your plumbing. For guests who bring young children, make sure they know that wipes of any kind cannot be flushed. This prevents any clogs from forming due to improper waste handling.
Consider a Thorough Inspection
The other thing you may find beneficial is scheduling a thorough plumbing inspection before your holiday parties. The last thing you want to deal with is an emergency, such as a broken plumbing line, in the middle of a holiday party. Sometimes, a weak or damaged pipe will finally give way under the increased stress from the additional plumbing use.
Having your plumbing inspected before the season really kicks off will allow you to identify any areas that are weakening or potentially vulnerable. Then, you can decide if you want to have them repaired now, or take the gamble through the holidays and wait until spring. Talk to a company like Complete Plumbing to learn more.