Holiday Plumbing Tips to Prepare for Family & Friends

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and Christmas won’t be far behind. Between those two holidays, 85 million people travel to visit family and friends for fun, festive times. That’s not to say you’ll have millions of people coming in and out of your home this holiday season, but it might feel as if your plumbing suddenly goes on the fritz.

There’s never a good time for your plumbing to malfunction. Still, you can take various steps to ensure it holds up beyond the most wonderful time of the year.

6 Ways to Get Your Plumbing Ready for Holiday Guests

1. Flush Your Hot Water Heater

Sediment build-up can happen over time, leading to water discoloration, strange noises in the tank, foul odors emitting from drains, and more.

Flushing your water heater should be based on many factors, including:

• Water color
• Water heater usage
• Length between flushes
• Unit age

As a general rule of thumb, you should drain your water heater annually. However, ideally, twice a year will help ensure your water heater continues operating efficiently. Trust us. Your water heater and holiday guests will thank you for optimal water pressure and consistently hot water during their stay.

2. Invest in Drain Protectors

With food abundant during the holidays, your garbage disposal, shower, and other drains will see a lot of activity. You should always anticipate unintentional clogs from food particles, soap scum, hair, natural oils, etc. Investing in a drain protector will keep as many foreign objects as possible from making a permanent and unwanted home inside your pipes. You’ll want drain guards for every drain in your home because they will get frequent use during holiday parties and overnight guests. The last thing you want to deal with is a nasty clog or overflowing toilets while trying to entertain friends and family members.

3. Adjust Water Pressure

Your home’s water pressure should typically be between 45 and 55 PSI. Conventional water heaters will have a water pressure regulator that determines the PSI and allows you to adjust it accordingly. When the holidays come around, you’ll want to keep your water pressure at an optimal level to accommodate your overnight holiday visitors. No one wants a lackluster shower where the water trickles out of the shower head. You can safely turn the water pressure up while guests stay with you to give them the best hot shower of their lives. Remember to adjust it back to the normal setting once they leave.

4. Ditch the Flushable Wipes

Just because the term “flushable” is in the name and on the packaging doesn’t mean they’re made to be flushed. On the contrary, flushable wipes are actually very harmful to healthy drains. While they may not directly damage your plumbing, they can get lodged in sewer pipes and even damage the pumps that push wastewater to treatment plants for recycling.

So, we recommend nixing the wipes and going for thin-ply toilet paper to ensure it breaks down properly.

5. Check for Clogs & Leaks

How embarrassing would it be to welcome holiday guests into your home only to have severely clogged drains and plumbing leaks galore? You can avoid the egg on your face by simply checking your pipes before your Thanksgiving or Christmas visitors arrive. If you notice pools of water around the toilet, water heater, or appliances, you should contact a certified and licensed Memphis plumber to assist you. We don’t recommend addressing these problems yourself, or you risk even more damage and time spent without fully functioning plumbing.

6. Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners

When a clog threatens your holiday fun, your first instinct may be to grab the over-the-counter drain cleaners. Wait! Before you pour those chemicals down your drain, you should know that they can cause more harm than good.

Chemical drain cleaners can damage your plumbing in the following ways:

• Cause corrosion
• Generate heat that creates dangerous gases
• Damage septic tank
• Crack porcelain
• Push drains further into pipes

Bottom line: You don’t want to use chemical liquid drain cleaners to unclog drains. You may create a larger issue requiring a lengthy and costly repair process. This will definitely not make your holiday season merry or bright.

Let Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Memphis Fortify Your Plumbing for the Holidays!

Your plumbing could operate perfectly throughout the year, but we all know to expect the unexpected during the holidays. With visitors filtering in and out, it’s always a good idea to check your plumbing before and after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the new year.

Our dedicated plumbers at Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Memphis are more than happy to help you get your plumbing ready so that you can enjoy the prospect of a winter wonderland outside instead of a water wasteland inside.