5 Tips to Avoid a Christmas Plumbing Issues
When the Christmas season rolls around, you’re already inundated with plenty to do. One thing you don’t want to worry about is your plumbing. Although your plumbing gets kicked into hyperdrive if you have guests and other people to your home, a plumbing disaster is one thing that you can’t afford to have. So, before your guests pull their chairs up to the dinner table, make sure your plumbing is in order with these tips from our team of plumbers at Express Plumbing in San Mateo.
1. Pour That Grease in the Right Place
When you cook meats, you’ll undoubtedly have a bit of grease. But rather than pour it down the drain, make sure you put it in a proper receptacle and dispose of it in the trash. When you pour grease down the drain, you can clog the pipes, which can lead to drain backups and other issues.
2. Insulate Your Pipes
If you’ve lived in your home for a number of years, you probably don’t have to worry about frozen pipes. But if you’ve moved into a new home or you’re expecting an unexpectedly cold winter, you should insulate your pipes as soon as possible.
By insulating your pipes, you ensure that none of them will burst if the temperature drops unexpectedly.
3. Wait a Few Minutes Between Showers
Your water heater is the difference between comfort and squalor when winter comes along. However, you can’t just keep a rolling line of showers when you have guests.
Water heaters need a second to recharge themselves, and they also need a second for the drains to clear. So if you have a packed house, put your foot down now. You need to wait at least 10 minutes between showers for everyone to have the comfort of a nice, warm soak.
4. Don’t Throw Random Stuff in the Toilet
Everyone has “interesting relatives.” So when they come into town, you may come across a moment where you’re worried about what goes into the toilet—outside of the normal bodily functions.
With that said, you need to post a sign or have a constructive conversation regarding what goes in the toilet. To that effect, you need to specifically talk about things that can’t go into the toilet, such as:
- Feminine hygiene products
- Cigarette butts
- Cleansing wipes of any kind—including the supposed “flushable wipes”
- Paper towels
- Q-tips and cotton balls
The overarching idea here is that if it’s not No.1 or No. 2, it probably shouldn’t go in the toilet. Otherwise, you could be in for a Christmas plumbing disaster.
Get a Plumber Over to the House Before the Holidays
Perhaps the best tip of all is to call one of plumbers before the holidays even start—just to make sure everything is flowing well. It’s a preventive measure that—even if you’ve taken the necessary precautions—can ensure that nothing catastrophic happens.
Our technicians live and work in the San Mateo area, but we service the entire Bay. Although we provide you with regular tips for your home plumbing needs. We also help commercial and municipal clients and are always ready to assist when you need us.
When you hire the Express Plumbing team, you’re hiring knowledge, expertise, and experience to get the job done right. You shouldn’t have to worry about plumbing during Christmas—and we will always make sure that you don’t have to.
