If you’re planning on hosting a Thanksgiving gathering in your San Pedro, CA, home, you know it’s a big undertaking. The last thing you want is for plumbing issues to sabotage your holiday. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is primetime for residential plumbing problems. Here’s why that is and what you can do to prevent a Thanksgiving plumbing emergency.
The Thanksgiving Plumbing Challenge
The main reason that Thanksgiving tends to create plumbing problems is simple: you’re using your plumbing more. While you’re cleaning and cooking, you’ll likely wash all kinds of things down your home’s drains. And then, when the big day arrives, you’ll have more people than usual using your home’s bathrooms. So, it’s natural to expect your plumbing to develop problems if it’s unprepared for the onslaught.
Sadly, even if you make it through Thanksgiving day unscathed, it doesn’t mean you’re out of the proverbial woods. Plumbing problems on the day immediately after Thanksgiving are even more common than on the day itself. They happen because some of the effects your gathering has on your plumbing won’t show up immediately. It’s such a widespread issue that professional plumbers even have a name for it: Brown Friday. We’d bet you can guess exactly what that name alludes to.
Answers to Your Thanksgiving Plumbing Questions
Now that you know the scope of the problem, here are answers to some of the most common questions on the subject. We’ll also cover how you can prevent plumbing emergencies this Thanksgiving.
Why does my sink clog more during the holidays?
If you’re like most people, your Thanksgiving meal is likely the largest meal you’ll cook all year. That means more food waste and other things making their way into your drains. Worse still, the kinds of food you’ll make on Thanksgiving pose specific challenges to your plumbing. For example, turkey is a relatively greasy food, and it isn’t uncommon for much of that grease to end up in your drain. That’s a problem for two reasons. One is that grease won’t mix with water. So, the water you send down the drain after the grease won’t dilute it. It will instead carry it further into your pipes.
The second problem is that grease will cool as it moves through your drain. When it does, it will harden into a plug that stops water from flowing. You may believe that keeping a steady flow of hot water going into your drain can help prevent a grease clog. However, it may do more harm than good. It’ll keep the grease liquified longer, letting it travel deeper into your plumbing. When it inevitably cools along with the water, you’ll end up with a harder-to-reach clog.
Can turkey grease really damage my pipes?
To be clear, turkey grease, on its own, won’t likely damage your pipes. However, your plumbing could suffer subsequent damage resulting from a grease clog. For example, a partial grease clog may not stop your drain from flowing completely. However, it’ll collect food bits and other detritus while it sits in your pipes. That can turn a benign clog into a more dangerous one. Additionally, if you reach for a bottle of drain cleaner to remove your clog, the chemicals in it can and will damage your pipes.
You should also know that the act of snaking a clog can result in damage to your pipes if performed incorrectly. Our plumbers take every precaution to avoid damaging your pipes while unclogging them. But if your drain line is older and deteriorating, even the most careful drain cleaning could be problematic.
What should I not put in the garbage disposal?
Plenty of homeowners treat their garbage disposal as precisely that: a place to get rid of any and all kitchen waste. The problem is, your garbage disposal isn’t suitable for eliminating every type of kitchen waste you can think of. On the contrary, there’s a long list of things you should never put in a garbage disposal.
For example, when you’re peeling potatoes for your Thanksgiving meal, you should never throw their skins in the disposal. They may slip past the disposal and clog your drain by sticking to the walls of your pipes. Fibrous foods, like celery and corn husks, are also an issue. Garbage disposals can’t tear apart their stringy remains, which can instead turn into a big headache in your drain. And when you’re making coffee for your guests after your main meal, never throw the used grounds in the garbage disposal. They’ll pass through the unit and clump back together inside your drain, forming a clog.
How can I prevent a plumbing emergency during a big family gathering?
Avoiding the behaviors mentioned above is a great place to start your efforts to prevent a Thanksgiving plumbing emergency. There are some other things you should do as well. One is to schedule a plumbing maintenance visit well in advance of your holiday gathering. Our plumbers can inspect your home’s plumbing to look for signs of brewing trouble. If you need a preventative drain cleaning, we’ll provide it. We offer both traditional rooter services and hydro-jetting. We’ll also check your home’s toilets to ensure their proper operation.
You can also help create more favorable plumbing conditions during your gathering. One way to do that is to stock your bathrooms with recycled toilet paper. It often dissolves faster in water than other types. Plus, you should remove any flushable wipes you may have in your bathrooms. Such products overstate their safety in your plumbing system. And if your guests spend a whole day using them, you’re almost sure to have a problem.
It’s also a good idea to place hands-free, covered garbage cans in your bathrooms. That subtly encourages guests to use them, free from the anxiety of leaving a visible mess. If you don’t give them an easy alternative, there’s a good chance someone will flush something inappropriate in one of your toilets.
Finally, you should prepare for common plumbing issues that may arise during your gathering. Sometimes, addressing a plumbing problem promptly is the best way to prevent an emergency. To ensure you can do that, ready a plunger, some towels, a snake, and cleaning supplies. That way, you can intervene before a small plumbing problem ruins your Thanksgiving.
Your Local Emergency Plumber
We hope we’ve armed you with the knowledge you need to avoid a plumbing emergency this Thanksgiving. We also encourage you to enlist our help in preparing your plumbing before the holiday. In any case, if you have a plumbing emergency during the holiday, don’t panic. We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services to help you get back to your celebration as fast as possible. We’re a family-owned and -operated business, so we understand how important your holiday gathering is. For proof, check out our list of customer reviews, which speaks volumes about our dedicated plumbers. Contact our team at Big League Plumbing today for expert plumbing services for your San Pedro home.
