Holiday Plumbing Tips, After the holidays, do this and avoid disaster

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It’s that time of year, time for plumbing tips. Gifts are wrapped, everyone is traveling everywhere, and it’s time for holiday parties! But with all the travel and entertaining comes added stress on your home’s plumbing system. So, to help you get through the season without any issues or emergency calls to a plumber, we will go over some tips on how to refresh your plumbing after the holidays. Travel and entertaining come with added stress to your plumbing system. Here are some useful holiday plumbing tips you may not have thought of.

Holiday Plumbing Tips

Holiday Travel

The weeks leading up to Christmas include:

  • Lots of people wash their hands at restaurants.
  • Shaking off sneezes in crowded places.
  • Preparing meals in kitchens frequented by others who may be sick (and spreading germs via pots/pans/knives, etc.).
  • Touching germ-ridden surfaces in homes that have been exposed to who knows what.

All of this adds up to a higher risk of catching something from the places you go into every day using your plumbing system.

Solutions:

Germs are big this time of year, so if you or someone else in your family does get sick during the holidays, remember that germs are everywhere – not just on holiday parties’ bathroom sinks. Be sure to wash hands thoroughly before preparing meals (and after handling raw meat) and before eating. Also, be sure to wash countertops with hot soapy water if they’ve come in contact with any unwashed dishes or other surface contaminants, including pets who may carry around their share of bacteria. Keep an eye out for toilet germs as well, particularly after using public restrooms or others’ homes. Sanitize surfaces with a solution of 10% bleach and 90% water to stop any transfer of cold/flu viruses onto surfaces that may be unsafe to touch (i.e., kitchen counters).

 

FYI Holiday Plumbing Tips:

On average, an individual touches their face about 300 times per day. Making it easy for cold/flu viruses to become transmitted from hands to nose, mouth, etc. Make sure you are washing your hands often throughout the holiday season!

 

Toilet Seat Covers

Who wants to worry about shared toilet seats? Well, toilet seat covers are here! They are inexpensive and disposable, so they are ideal for covering up those germs we mentioned previously. You can find these at most drugstores or grocery stores as well as online.

 

Flushable Moist Wipes

Flushable moist wipes are great to have on hand during the holiday season because they take up little room, are easy to travel with, and clean those toilet germs from your bottom easily! The best part? You flush them away after use, no mess!

 

Be Careful With Trees

Although having a fully decorated tree in the house is a staple of festive holidays, it should be noted that trees can form cracks where bugs can hide out. These holes should be tightly sealed before bringing the tree inside. And make sure you dispose of any life or cut holiday greenery in a separate garbage bag to avoid bugs from spreading.

Holiday Parties and Your Plumbing!

Large holiday parties can put extra stress on your plumbing system, so it’s best to prepare for the worst before they happen. This means not letting the water temperature in your home fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (use a lower setting if you have trouble remembering). Also, be sure only to run the dishwasher and washing machine when fully loaded and laundry is finished to refresh your plumbing system. Lastly, don’t use any appliances that may clog up drains, such as the garbage disposal or anything with grease (like turkey fat).

 

Before You Go Out for New Year’s Eve

One of the best plumbing tips is, don’t forget about flushing out all those pipes! Draining the water from your pipes helps prevent damage if they freeze and burst during the cold winter months.

 

To drain your home’s pipes:

Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow them to air dry. (this also prevents mold)

Turn on all faucets and let them drip until they no longer produce a noticeable flow of water.

Run an empty pot or pan (preferably metal with no cracks/handles) until it makes a loud banging noise, as this means the pipes are free of leftover tap water.

 

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Plumbing System.

Now that you’re refreshed after this year’s holidays, why not take some time to restore your plumbing system itself? The most efficient and most effortless thing you can accomplish and help you avoid costly issues in the future is to call and schedule inspections with a plumber once per year. During these inspections, the plumber will flush out any excess debris in the drains and also check for any leaks or damage that you can’t see. Depending on what they find, you may be advised to replace some of your older fixtures (for example, if your water heater is older than six years, etc.)

*With the most beautiful time of year behind you, remember to make that New Year’s resolution to schedule an inspection of your home’s plumbing system.

To contact the most trusted name in Raleigh plumbers, visit poolesplumbing.com.