The holiday season is quickly approaching. This is the time of year when you get to relax with loved ones and enjoy happy festivities. You might not think about it, but your home’s plumbing system is also affected by the holidays.
When your friends and family come to stay over, your house’s facilities are going to have to work overtime. Showers, toilets, and drains are going to be used much more than normal. (Along with that comes increased water usage.) A house might go from having two people in it to having ten people in it. There’s no mystery why most of our drain calls happen during this season. Practically everything in your home gets a workout.
One of the activities that taxes your home’s plumbing system during the holidays is cooking. There’s more grease and food particles going down the drains. People are also washing more pots, pans, and dishes. All of these things tend to cause backups in the drain system.
Guests might also be putting unintentional abuse on the facilities. Sometimes they’re just not familiar with the home’s appliances and fixtures. They might be accustomed to using their own appliances and fixtures a certain way. When they go visit someone else’s home, they’re not aware of how things are done differently. (That’s especially true in the bathroom.) There’s also a good chance that everyone will try to take a shower at the same time.
There’s no worse time to have a plumbing issue than during the holiday season. You’ll obviously have to pay an added cost to have a plumber come to your home on a holiday. It’s also frustrating and embarrassing if you have a stopped up toilet or drain. That’s why we highly encourage all our clients to make sure they’ve done a check of the plumbing system before they have company over. That way they’ll know exactly what shape it’s in.
If you’ve had an issue in the past, don’t wait until the holidays to make sure that it’s fixed. Any existing problems in the home’s plumbing system will be magnified. For instance, you might have gotten away with having two people using a drain line that has roots in it. Once you have guests over and the usage goes way up, those roots will stop up the sewer line almost every time.
Pay special attention to the drains, water heaters, appliances, and hard working fixtures like toilets, faucets, and the kitchen sink. If you’re using more fixtures at the same time, the water pressure will drop. You also need to make sure that you have adequate hot water for the demand. Remember, you’re working the existing system much harder due to the increased usage.
Don’t let a holiday plumbing catastrophe happen in your home. To make sure you’re prepared, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 685-0366. We’ll make sure everything is in working order so you can focus on having fun with your family.
