Thanksgiving. The most pumpkin-flavored holiday of the year. It’s a time for playing card games, napping during football games, and feasting on delicious food. It’s also a time for family. Whenever family stays over for more than just a few hours, they can tend to put strain on all kinds of things. Your plumbing is no exception.
Fortunately, there are ways to prepare for the added stress of Turkey day–at least, the added plumbing stress of Turkey day. We’ve made an easy to reference checklist for you below, to save both your pipes and your peace of mind. As for the rest of the stress… we don’t know. Deep breaths?
Flush your water heater
Thanksgiving means a lot of family visiting your home. If family visits long term, they’re (hopefully) going to need to shower. Make sure your water heater can handle the extra strain by giving it a bit of a tune-up. A flush will wipe out sediment and make sure your heater performs when it needs to.
Put extra garbage bins in the bathroom and kitchen
Hopefully, this will keep relatives from throwing their Thanksgiving garbage anywhere it shouldn’t be. It’ll also make the epic post-meal cleanup a lot easier to manage.
Remind visitors about proper garbage disposal use
Your garbage disposal might see some action during the Thanksgiving holiday, so make sure your relatives know how not to break it. Don’t let them put bones, fibrous scraps, or coffee grounds in the disposal. Have them run cold water both before and after using it to rinse it each time. The last thing you want before the biggest cleanup day of the year is a broken garbage disposal.
Put a mesh strainer over your shower drain
You’ll thank us. More people in the house means more hair that could potentially get down the drain to clog it. This is an easy step to take to avoid gross trouble in the future.
Make sure you know how to properly unclog a toilet
Here’s a guide.
Install strainers in your sinks
These will help you avoid the problems that come from relatives clearing off their plates in places you might not want them to. Strainers catch food that’s too big for your pipes, keeping it from forming greasy clogs in your drain system.
Give everything a once over
There’s no better time to take a look at your plumbing than right before Thanksgiving. After all, a deluge of people are about to put it through its paces. Make sure your toilet flushes right, that it isn’t leaking, and that the water drains properly. Wash faucets and showerheads with vinegar to remove sediment build-up that might be hiding there.
Give all corners of your home a look-see to check for water damage coming from leaks that could be exacerbated when people visit. Double-checking things will help you feel confident that everyone will be comfortable and happy while they’re staying with you.
A little precaution goes a long way, especially during Thanksgiving. If you find yourself inclined to have professionals over to fix any small problems before the family shows up, the team at Mike Diamond always has your back.