Three Common Thanksgiving Plumbing Problems

Would you believe us if we told you that Black Friday isn’t the busiest day of the year for just retail stores? It’s true—it’s also one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers. The reason for this is a number of homeowners who host holiday festivities may not be prepared for the added amount of stress this places on their plumbing. When you have guests to your home, it adds extra use and workload to your pipes and fixtures. When a lot of people visit, the extra stress only compounds.

As Charlotte plumbers, there are a number of common problems we see as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday, and fortunately, there are some things you can do to prevent several of them proactively. Our blog will discuss a few of these problems and some steps you can take to protect yourself and your home from them.

Garbage Disposal Problems

Does the number one service call the day after Thanksgiving? Garbage disposal problems. Thanksgiving is a massive meal, and many people dispose of uneaten food from that meal by simply tossing it down the garbage disposal and letting it take care of it. However, there are certain foods you shouldn’t put down the disposal because they’re prone to creating clogs. This includes starchy foods like mashed potatoes, stringy foods like asparagus, solid foods like eggshells, or fats that can solidify like bacon grease. Even with the hot water running at full blast to try and wash the waste down the drain, these foods can accumulate and create pesky clogs that are extremely difficult to remove.

The easiest way to prevent a clog? Simply know what not to put through the garbage disposal and make sure you don’t put these types of foods down the drain. Removing a clog from behind a garbage disposal is extremely difficult, and requires the assistance of a Charlotte plumber to make sure it’s done right.

Clogged Drains

A clogged drain is not all that uncommon from Thanksgiving as well. We’ve already discussed how kitchen sink drain clogs tend to come about from misuse of your garbage disposal, but bathroom sinks are also fairly common. Soap scum, hair, and other debris can become lodged in your plumbing lines, creating a clog that slows your drains to a crawl or stops them altogether.

When you have a clogged drain, the easiest way to make sure it’s fixed properly is to call a professional and have your drain cleaned with a professional snake or auger treatment. This service eliminates the clog in its entirety and doesn’t damage your plumbing. However, chemical drain cleaners that you can buy at your local hardware store can’t say the same. These harsh chemicals usually only open a small hole in your plumbing line, which means the clog returns again quickly and can cause tremendous damage to your plumbing in the process.

Clogged Sewer Lines

When you have people over for Thanksgiving, they’re going to need to use your restroom. When lots of people are over, your restroom is going to get a lot of additional use. When your restroom gets a lot of additional use, any clogs that may be building up in your sewer lines will grow larger and faster than before. When this clog is in your main sewer line, this can affect every single drain in your home, including sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and more.

In the past, a clogged sewer line used to be a disaster for homeowners. Repairing the issue included digging up your yard to find the drain line, cutting out the clogged section, installing a new pipe, and then sealing and replacing it. The process took weeks and cost thousands of dollars. Today, removing a clog from your main sewer line is a piece of cake thanks to a service known as “hydro jetting.” The entire process is completed in just a few hours and costs significantly less than a full pipe replacement.