The Holidays are not only be taxing on your wallet… but also your water usage and your household plumbing!
We all like to be the gracious host and invite out-of-town friends and family to stay in our homes over the holiday season. Offering full hospitality to our guests is a privilege that we plan for several months in advance. Unfortunately, sometimes this gracious generosity seems to take its toll on our plumbing system even months after our guests have departed.
Hosting guests for the holidays? Here are some tips and hints to help lessen your overall usage of water and minimize the strain on your pipes and plumbing.
Common Holiday Plumbing Problems
Depending on the number of guests and the duration of their visit, the amount of water usage from the toilet and the shower can be several times the normal usage. This level of over usage can result in high risk for overflows, clogs, and other potential plumbing issues.
The amount of food and waste run down the kitchen sink puts the disposal and dishwasher plumbing at an increased capacity. The holidays often calls for foods with higher fat content and grease that often gets discarded down the sink. This puts the disposal at risk for malfunctions and clogging.
Handling a Full House Over the Holidays
A few tips to reduce the increased usage might help during this time of accommodating a full house.
1. Limit your time in the shower. If everyone makes a conscious effort to minimize their time in the shower it could save several gallons of water per day.
2. Turn the water off! Brushing your teeth doesn’t have to be done over a running sink. Instead turn the water on and then off while brushing your teeth to minimize the usage.
3. Utilize public facilities. Headed to the health club or community pool for the day? Take a shower there after the workout or swim. This will save having to shower at home and hence will save water too.
4. Fill the dishwasher all the way. Wait until it is completely full of dishes and silverware before running it. Perhaps paper plates can even be used for a few lighter meals! This will lessen the number of dishes used and overall dishwasher runs.
5. Keep a mindful watch on the food that gets put down the disposal. Too much fatty or greasy food put down at once can really harm the plumbing. Scraping plates into a trash receptacle instead can give the disposal a break.
Despite your best efforts taken to reduce water usage and keep the disposal free of extra wear and tear there will always be some plumbing issues that will require a reliable solution.
Work with the team of Pittsburgh plumbers who can fix any plumbing problems the first team and keep your home up and running with help from Mister Sewer. For over 25 years, Mister Sewer’s certified plumbers and drain experts have been helping homeowners handle all of their plumbing holiday emergencies. Make sure your holidays go off without a hitch, and contact Mister Sewer to make sure your home’s pipes are all in working order.