This time of year can be joyous, but it can also be stressful. And it’s not just you feeling that strain! Your plumbing experiences a lot of extra challenges during the holidays. How can you take some of the pressure off your plumbing during the holidays? Here’s a list of dos and don’ts to help get your plumbing through the season.
Do Have Tools Available
Your best plumbing friends are plungers and snakes or augers. You should always have a small, clean plunger available for clogs in sinks. These can be found at any hardware store for ten dollars or less. You should also consider either a plastic drain snake or a hand-cranked auger for breaking up or pulling out stubborn blockages. With these tools, you might be able to avoid calling a plumber for a clog.
Don’t Use Chemical Drain Cleaner
Liquid drain cleaner is more corrosive than bleach or oven cleaner. It will cause chemical burns if it touches your skin. Just the fumes can cause serious respiratory issues! It’s also caustic enough to eat away at the inside of your drain pipes. That means it leaves a rough surface behind, giving easy footholds for future buildup. Clogs will happen faster if you use it! Just don’t do it.
Do Remember Maintenance
When’s the last time you had professional water heater maintenance? This system will be under extra pressure during the holidays, too. Checking over the whole system and flushing out sediment and mineral scaling will dramatically reduce the risk of anything going wrong, so if it’s been a long time, make that appointment so your holiday guests won’t have cold showers.
You can also have drain cleaning done as part of preventive maintenance! You don’t have to wait for a terrible clog. With a little help from a qualified plumber, you can make it so those clogs don’t have a chance to develop.
Don’t Harm Your Disposal
Your garbage disposal can’t actually cope with absolutely anything. Despite the name, it’s definitely not for garbage! Avoid putting grease down the drain, as it will harden when it cools and create a solid blockage. And anything either hard, like bones or fruit pits, or stringy, like stalks of celery, can harm the disposal. Finally, starches that will just keep swelling, like pasta, should stay out of your drain as well.
Do Get Help When You Need It
Don’t try to DIY plumbing repair, other than using plungers and snakes for clogs. When something is wrong, get professional help right away. A qualified plumber can get your troubles sorted out without voiding any warranties or causing any damage.
You don’t want to spend many hours of your precious holiday time watching DIY videos online and going back and forth to the hardware store, only to have to call in the pros after all! When you need a plumber in Glenview, IL, you can rely on us.
For expert plumbing service, contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance!