Protect Your Drains By Avoiding These Drain Destroyers

The holidays are coming, which can mean a lot of cooking oil could be going down your kitchen sink, especially if you’re an inexperienced cook. You might think that the simplest way to get rid of fat from turkey, bacon, beef, chicken, etc., is to pour it down the drain. Unfortunately, pouring cooking oil down the drain doesn’t necessarily get rid of it, but it can potentially clog your drain. Having clogged drains can be a major stressor during the holidays. Avoid holiday drain destroyers with these tips:

Protect your drains: The cooking oil that you’re pouring down your drain doesn’t go into this dark abyss that is never seen again, it can turn into the consistency of candle wax or clay that will sit in your drain. To help save your drains, consider pouring all your cooking oil in a can or jar and dispose of it in the garbage. Every few months, fill up your kitchen sink with extremely hot water and let it drain in your pipes, it will help clear bits of grease and other particles out of your pipes. You can also pour vinegar and baking soda down the drain once a month to clean it as well.

Watch what goes into the garbage disposal: Try and avoid putting potato peels, poultry skins, and celery in the garbage disposal. Use plenty of water and let the garbage disposal run for 20 to 30 seconds before you put anything in it. Turning on your garbage disposal after it’s already full can cause damage to your drain and pipes.

Take care of your toilet: If you’re going to be hosting family and friends at your house for the holidays, try and wait 10 mins between showers to give slow drains enough time to clear. Don’t flush cotton balls, hair, and facial scrubs down the toilet because they cannot dissolve properly. Keep a wastebasket near your toilet, and remind your guest not to flush sanitary napkins, baby wipes, or facial tissues down the toilet. You might want to put a plunger in all your bathrooms just in case a clog occurs.

Keep an eye on your water heater: Your water heater can get overwhelmed when you’re hosting a lot of family or friends in your home. To ensure that your water heater isn’t getting overworked during the holidays, consider turning up your water heater; however, never turn it above 120 degrees, this can be dangerous. After the holidays, turn your water heater back down.

Maintain your plumbing: Don’t wait until the holidays to deal with serious plumbing issues. If you’re constantly dealing with clogged drains, sink clogs, or toilet clogs, we suggest that you call and schedule an appointment with a licensed drain specialist.

While these tips give you preventative ways to help avoid plumbing issues during the holidays, you could be faced with a handful of plumbing issues now. If you’re currently having a lot of plumbing problems, give us a call at (239) 946-4426 .

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