In just a few short days, families in and around Kansas City, MO will be ready to celebrate Thanksgiving—many homes in the area will host large gatherings. After feasting on mouthwatering turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, most people are ready to watch football or pass out. Kansas City plumbers, however, will be preparing to tackle some major plumbing problems—the day after Thanksgiving is the single busiest day of the year for residential plumbers. Clogged drains and the need for garbage disposal repair are among the biggest issues we have to address here at Top Notch Heating, Cooling & Plumbing.
Fortunately, we have some tips you can follow to avoid serious plumbing problems—after all, clogged drains and potential garbage disposal repair are costly expenses.
Simple Ways to Avoid Plumbing Problems
To minimize the risk of encountering plumbing problems this Turkey Day:
- Do not pour fats or cooking oils down drains—they solidify in pipes. To avoid dealing with clogged drains, wipe grease from pots with paper towels and discard in a trash can.
- Avoid putting stringy, fibrous, or starchy waste in the garbage disposal—some examples include celery, asparagus, artichokes, potato skins, bone fragments, eggshells, banana peels, fats, grease, unpopped popcorn kernels, onion skins, and fruits pits and seeds. This can really save you from a costly garbage disposal repair.
- Make sure your garbage disposal is running when you put food into it—don’t wait until it’s full to turn it on. Again, this reduces the risk of a costly garbage disposal repair.
- For homes hosting large Turkey Day gatherings and weekend guests, it’s a great idea to wait at least 15 minutes between subsequent showers so slow drains have time to do their job. Politely inform your guests of this.
- Do not flush cotton balls, swabs, hair, or facial scrub pads down a toilet—they don’t dissolve and will lead to clogged drains.
- Try to address any plumbing problems you may have before Turkey Day and before your guests arrive—fixing small problems quickly can prevent serious, costly catastrophes later.
Of course, these are easy-to-follow tips you should be mindful of all year round—not just on Thanksgiving. These tips, however, are very prevalent to Thanksgiving and will minimize the risk of plumbing problems. It’s possible that you will still encounter clogged drains or need garbage disposal repair. Contact us online or call us so we can send a qualified, experienced plumber your way who can help you out.
