We get it: we’re all excited about having our loved ones over for Thanksgiving, enjoying a delicious dinner together and building family memories that will last forever. But something that you certainly won’t want to remember years to come, is the emergency call to the plumber the next day because of a blocked drain or clogged toilet.
In addition to having your home ready prior to having the guests coming in with your standard plumbing maintenance and drain cleaning before the holidays, you will want to make sure the Astar Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electric team doesn’t make a sudden appearance to run an emergency drain cleaning at your home, so follow our expert tips to enjoy a wonderful worry-free holiday.
Butter is good in your food, not in your drains.
Of course, some grease and butter are good to add flavor to the turkey, veggies and mashed potatoes. However, even in the overwhelming rush of cooking, it is important to remember that as they get cold, fats, oils and greases (FOG) turn into a yucky solid that you won’t want anywhere near your drains.
Once they’re used and cooled, pour FOG into a container and put that container in the trash. In addition, you will want to use a paper towel or napkin to wipe any residues from your dishes before washing them.
It is common practice to run hot water and try to drain any fats, oils or greases in the sink or food disposal; however, even if it seems as if they ran smoothly through your plumbing, they most certainly will solidify along the way and end up causing a drain blockage.
Keep in mind that specially in the cold weather we are facing, this may become an issue even sooner, so take a deep breath and have an extra step. Trust us, it will be worth it.
Eat yummy turkey and keep the leftovers out of the food disposal.
Crispy skin, tender meat, well-seasoned and delicious turkey will surely take the center stage at your Thanksgiving dinner table this year. But trust us, you will want its stellar appearance to end that very same day!
Every year, hundreds of homes across the DFW Metroplex face a plumbing emergency service call Friday after the holiday because of a blocked drain or jammed food disposal caused by skin, bones or peel that got thrown in the sink instead of in the trash.
It is better to have a trash bin or bag close and at hand when clearing the dishes and washing them to make sure everyone disposes the leftovers where they belong. You can also use a sink strainer to prevent any “small” pieces of food getting into the drain and cause blockage. Keep in mind that food and residues quantities multiply considerably in the holidays, so before you notice it, they can become a significant problem in your pipes and drain.
Keep an eye on what gets flushed.
Lovely to have the children running around and playing games with the whole family. What’s not so fun whatsoever, is having a clogged toilet because of toys or too many wipes being flushed down the toilet!
Toilet paper is specifically designed to dissolve in water and not cause a clog. However, other items such as wipes, even the ones that say “flushable”, are not. Cotton balls, Q-Tips, napkins, paper towels and make-up remover wipes should not be thrown in the toilet either, so just make sure to keep them out of the guest bathrooms or powder rooms during the holidays to prevent any accidental flush that ends up in a plumbing issue for your home.
More importantly, if any of this happens at your home, stop self-proclaimed Mr. “I’ll fix it” and avoid any DYI ideas that might appear as a good solution for the moment, they will end up being temporary and could cause larger and more expensive plumbing problems in the future. Trust Astar’s expert emergency air conditioning and plumbing service 24/7 and we are ready to help you!