How to Care For Your Plumbing During Christmas
The Christmas holiday season is certainly the season to be jolly, but it's also arguably the busiest time of the year.
From family reunions to feeling more stuffed than a turkey after eating too much food, the festive season is always jam-packed.
Amongst all the Christmas pud, presents, cricket and festive family conversations, spare a thought for the extra pressure put on the plumbing system in your home.
Countless visitors on the loo and a seemingly endless supply of food can become a nightmare filled with blocked drains, burst pipes, overflowing toilets and an overworked dishwasher. One plumbing disaster after another, and that’s even without the possibility of a blocked toilet!
So before the extra guests arrive and a stampede of children runs amok through the corridors, here are some top tips for how you can care for your plumbing during Christmas Day and New Year holidays. That way you can nip the plumbing emergencies in the bud before they even become an issue!
Keep the FOG Out Of Your Drains This Holiday Period
There are some great Christmas gifts but FOG is not one of them. FOG, which is a quick way of saying fats, oils and grease, can be incredibly bad for your drains.
Even if you rinse it down as a liquid, FOG will harden into thick and grimy grease balls.
Just picture the congealed oil in your leftovers. The same hardened grease can be found in your pipes. And when it’s mixed with food scraps you’ll be stuck with stubborn blocked drains.
So instead of draining liquids from pans, or scraping leftovers down the drain, place everything in disposable containers and put it safely in the bin. Your kitchen sink and garbage disposal will thank you! Also, don’t forget the sink strainer, just as added safety for any scraps that might be rinsed off before washing.
Get the BBQ and Gas Bottles Ready
Are you the barbeque master? We know nothing beats a beautiful summer day by the BBQ with tongs in one hand and a cold one in the other. But before you clean up the grill on Christmas Eve to fire it up on Christmas Day, be prepared!
Check ahead of time that gas bottles are full, and that you have enough. Boxing Day and even New Year’s may also put your barbequing skills to the test.
Give the barbie a clean, while you’re at it. Then you can avoid a mad clean-up before all your holiday guests flood through the doors for a festive lunchtime feast.
Meanwhile, if you do love a regular barbeque, consider hooking up a secure gas mains connection. A local Plumber Near Me gas fitter can provide licensed gas fitting services to ensure everything is safe, secure and meets all Australian standards. It’s a simple way to save money and skip the hassle of gas refills altogether.
Give Your Toilet Some Tender Loving Care
When the big day rolls around you probably won’t have too much time to keep an eye on the bathroom. In the morning you’ll likely be looking at a spick and span toilet. However, by the end of the day, it’ll look like the aftermath of a war zone.
Set the standard straight away and provide a benchmark for guests to follow. Provide plenty of toilet paper, air freshener and soap. Don’t be afraid to supply wet wipes or hand sanitiser, either.
Also know that you can set some ground rules. For example, prevent guests from flushing anything that doesn’t meet the famed “3 Ps” criteria (the 3 Ps being poo, pee and paper). Think flushable wipes can be safely flushed without causing major plumbing problems? Think again. Outline what can and cannot be flushed so there’s no chance of or non-biodegradable or clunky items ending up in your drains and creating a plumbing emergency.
Meanwhile, you could even split up bathrooms if you have a couple of toilets. It’s just a handy way to keep things flowing and make sure one bathroom isn’t overused while the other sits idle.
Make it Easy with Convenient Rubbish Bins
Whether it’s your bathroom, kitchen, backyard or lounge room, provide plenty of rubbish bins. Feel free to choose something which stylishly blends in or is more practical. Either way, convenient bins will help limit the mess on a crazy Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
Also, look at providing simple recycling options or even specific bins for food scraps. If you’re someone who wants to limit the waste that goes to landfill, then you can certainly make sure your friends and family follow suit.
It feels good knowing your drains and toilet are protected, while the environment is also looked after.
Take Care of Household Maintenance
Sure, it may not be the ideal Christmas present you want, but you can definitely treat your house to some much-needed Christmas plumbing TLC. The holidays are often the perfect time to organise some maintenance, by yourself or with an expert.
A busy period with more people using your fittings and fixtures will only cause a leaking tap to drip more, or put bulging pipes under more pressure. And you don’t want to let the parents down with a cold shower or a sudden lack of water supply from your hot water system.
So this festive season, make the time to call in a licensed plumber if you need to. The team at Plumber Near Me is working throughout the holidays so you can tackle all the important jobs. We can be there on all public holidays, too, just in case something goes wrong despite all the planning.
Please note: This information is provided for advice purposes only. Regulations differ from state to state, so please consult your local authorities or an industry professional before proceeding with any work. See our Terms & Conditions here.