Get Your Plumbing System Ready for the Holidays in 6 Simple Steps

The holidays are upon us and our homes are starting to fill up with family, friends and copious amounts of wonderful foods. However, these are the very factors that put tremendous strain on a home's plumbing system, resulting in holiday plumbing emergencies. If you don't want to have to search for a 24-hour plumber this festive season, follow the guidelines laid out below to avoid emergency plumbing call-outs.

Take care of preventative maintenance now. If your plumbing is iffy, don't wait for a Christmas miracle. Fix leaks, slow drains and a rusty water heater now, before the added pressure on the system causes it to break.

Clogged drains are one of the biggest, most common issues relating to holiday plumbing emergencies. Here's how to avoid a clogged drain disaster this holiday season:

1. Schedule a preventative drain cleaning call-out

Call Anta Plumbing before your guests arrive. We will perform a drain clean-out using high-pressure water jets. This method scrubs the inside walls of your drain pipes clean, removing any debris, tree roots, and other items that may build up and result in clogged drains.

2. Prevent FOGs from entering your drain system

Fats, oils, and grease harden when it cools down, building up inside the drain pipes. Tree roots in drains, as well as small bits of debris such as food particles, can become lodged in the hardened FOGs, resulting in nasty clogs. Rather pour FOGs into suitable containers and dispose of it in the trash. Thin layers can be wiped clean with a newspaper or kitchen towel and binned before you wash the pans.

3. Avoid small items from entering your drains

When you wash dishes, work slowly and methodically to avoid utensils, bottle caps, meat bones and other hard objects entering the drains.

4. Go easy on the garbage disposal

Garbage disposals are handy but don't overwork it by running it continuously, or by inserting hard items that may not be cut. These items will become lodged in the garbage disposal, causing the motor to burn out. Be sure to run water while the garbage disposal is running.

5. Don't allow fibrous foods to clog your garbage disposal

Stringy, fibrous foods can become lodged on the blades of your garbage disposal, so don't allow asparagus, chicken skin, coffee grounds, meat leftovers, plastic materials, or paper to enter the system. It can cause damage to your garbage disposal, or cause your drain to become clogged.

6. Teach children what should and shouldn't enter the drains

During the holidays, toilets often become clogged because children flush too much toilet paper down the drains. Also, it's not unusual to see toys or pets being flushed down the toilets. When children arrive at your home, be sure to tell them right away what should (and shouldn't) enter the toilet. Likewise, provide bins in the bathrooms for guests to dispose of sanitary products, facial wipes and cotton swabs.

The good news is that Anta Plumbing will, as usual, provide 24/7 emergency plumbing services the Greater Toronto Area all year long. Get in touch with us if you have any plumbing emergency.