When you prepare your home for holiday guests, plumbing isn’t usually on the top of your list. However, your household plumbing is a big part of the comfort level in your home, and extra people mean more plumbing traffic. The extra stress on your plumbing system during the holidays could reveal issues you didn’t notice during the rest of the year.
1. Check Your Hot Water Heater
You should check your water heater before guests arrive to ensure it can handle the extra workload. If it’s seven years or more from the date on the water heater, our plumbers should do a full inspection. When multiple guests are coming for the holidays, you can adjust the temperature to ensure everyone can have hot showers.
2. Protect Your Drains
The most important way to protect your plumbing system is to maintain your drains. The most common plumbing problem is a clogged drain, but you can prevent the situation by keeping inappropriate materials out of your pipes. Anything going down the drain can clog the pipes, and some items should never go down the drain:
- Leftovers
- Bones
- Fibrous fruits and vegetables
- Starchy foods
- Grease and fat
- Trash, glass, and plastic
- Feminine hygiene products, hair, and paper other than toilet paper
- Diapers, wipes, Q-tips, and cotton balls
- Dental floss
- Chemicals
Between the shower, sink, and toilet, the bathroom has many drains. To keep your plumbing system running, everyone should understand what not to flush. A common clog for the kitchen is leftovers going down the drain while doing dishes. If you have a garbage disposal, don’t use it for fibrous foods, starchy foods, or bones that can gum up the system.
3. Check Your Water Pressure
Water pressure can be too high or low, which can mean various things. A faulty pressure regulator, a partially closed valve, or mineral buildup from Compton’s hard water could cause low water pressure. Living downhill or having a faulty valve are common causes of too much water pressure. If you have water pressure issues, it’s important to get an inspection to see what the cause is and have it fixed before the holiday season.
4. Prevent Smelly Drains
A dried P-trap is a common reason for smelly drains, and it often occurs in guest bathrooms that aren’t used often. Before guests arrive for the holidays, be sure to check the drains for bad smells. If they are smelly, fixing it can be as easy as using a mixture of vinegar, hot water, and baking soda to deodorize your drains.
The holidays can be one of the most stressful times for your plumbing system. The extra traffic of people using the bathroom and doing laundry could be too much for an already struggling system. You should call us at Frausto Plumbing Services to inspect your plumbing system before your guests arrive. We also provide drain cleaning, sewer line repair and installation, and emergency services.
