Thanksgiving Plumbing Problems

A Plumber’s Advice to Avoid a Holiday Disaster

Are you having guests over for the holidays? While many of you will be busy on Thanksgiving Day hosting a family dinner, it is the day after Thanksgiving that is the busiest day of the year for plumbers.

Fun Fact: Black Friday is the busiest day for plumbers in America.

All your extra company and extra food is going to put a strain on your drain on more of your home’s plumbing systems.

How Thanksgiving affects your Home’s Plumbing System

Toilets get flushed more
Extra showers are taken
Toilets & showers that are rarely will now be used regularly
More fats and foods will go down the drain, putting your garbage disposal to the test
It’s more likely a kid could put a random toy down your sink or toilet

A lot of families will find themselves with urgent plumbing problems over the Thanksgiving holiday. And while more of you will call plumbers like those at Standard Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, there are likely not enough plumbers in the Manhattan area to handle everyone’s plumbing problems as fast as each of the homeowners in need would like.

7 Tips to Avoid A Plumbing Disaster

Arm every toilet. Place a plunger in each of the bathrooms
Wipes are for the wastebasket. Never flush wet wipes down a toilet. Never. Not even the ones that claim to be flushable.
Do not confuse your garbage disposal for a garbage can. Throw all food waste in the trash and NOT in the garbage disposal (or at least ensure the disposal is running with COLD water if you put any food scraps down).
Don’t let fatty liquids go down your pipes. Keep a jar out to contain all the fats and cooking oils you need to dispose of. Never pour these down the drain.
Strainers save sinks. Put a sink strainer in your kitchen sink. This will keep large food waste from going down and stop any items (toys, jewelry, utensils, broken glass, etc.) from accidentally going doing the drain.
Wait to use your dishwasher. We know dirty dishes can pile up quickly. But wait before washing a load. Your garbage disposal and dishwasher use the same drain, so running the disposal while the washer is going could mean food waste can end up on your dishes.
Put a Plumber on Speed Dial. Or at least have a phone number ready. Put Standard’s phone number in your phone right now – (785) 776-5012. If you encounter a plumbing problem, calling us as soon as you need us may help you get service quicker than those who are having to spend time tracking down the number of a nearby plumber.

Kitchen Plumbing Tips

While you may be enjoying the delicious Thanksgiving foods, a lot of those wonderful dishes are filled with things that should never, ever go down your drain. Some foods, more than others, are tough for a garbage disposal to grind up. Others turn solid and become a blockage down the road. Some of the foods you should NEVER put down your disposal include:

Eggshells
Bones
Pasta
Rice
Coffee
Celery
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Lettuce
Grease, Oil, Fat

Bathroom Plumbing Tips

Will you be having a lot of visitors staying with you during the holiday? That can create its own set of plumbing issues, especially regarding the need for hot water.

Set a 15-minute shower rule. Make sure there are at least 15 minutes between showers, even if taken in separate bathrooms. This doesn’t just make sure the water heater tank has filled up enough for the next person to hop in the bathtub, but it also helps ensure there have been enough time for the drains to clear.

Give kids a potty talk. If children are occupying your house over the holidays, be aware they may still be learning what’s right (and what’s wrong) to go down sinks and toilets. Wipes aren’t the only bad paper product to put down a toilet. Flushing paper towels can create big problems for your pipes. Make sure all your guests know that toilet paper is the only product that is safe to be flushed.

A Plumber’s Best Advice BEFORE Thanksgiving Day

Have you noticed any issues or problems with your sinks or tubs as you’re getting the house ready for the holidays? Try using one of those rarely used bathrooms or showers a few times. Test it now so you don’t have to wonder if something is wrong with your plumbing.

If you notice any problems, call the plumbers at Standard today at (785) 776-5012.

What may be an easy fix now could turn into a big, wet mess later when the whole family is over. If you wait to get a plumber called on Thanksgiving or the day after (on Black Friday), you may find yourself waiting quite a while before you can get a professional plumber to come out and fix it.

If you want to be even more proactive, call Standard Plumbing for maintenance inspection & service. Even if you don’t see any signs of plumbing problems, it’s never a bad idea to be extra cautious and have your home’s pipes looked into in advance of a big holiday get-together.

Our plumbers provide regular maintenance on homes in and around the Manhattan area, including Wamego and Junction City. Contact us before the holiday season gets into full swing to schedule a plumbing maintenance service for your entire home.

Thanksgiving Day Plumbing Emergency

Standard is open on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday if you find yourself dealing with a plumbing emergency. We will be providing any emergency plumbing work in homes across Manhattan, KS. Standard plumbers are available on holidays and weekends with our Emergency 24/7 Service.

Get all-year home comfort security with Standard’s VIP Maintenance Program. As a VIP member, you will receive seasonal maintenance on your plumbing and heating & cooling systems. In addition, you will also receive priority scheduling whenever you call for a repair, and you never pay additional fees for emergency or weekend service.