With the holiday season in full swing now, chances are many of us are starting to see our calendars quickly fill up. Company parties, family get-togethers, holiday shopping activities, the list goes on! However, no matter if you’re staying in town or traveling, there’s always going to be a few plumbing items worth keeping in mind. After all, what else would you expect to read on a plumbing blog in the month of December?!
Before we get into the topic at-hand though, I would first like to welcome any new or returning visitors to our blog. In case you’re unfamiliar with our company, Stine-Nichols Plumbing is a plumbing business based out of North Kansas City, MO, offering residential, commercial and new construction plumbing services. Since the very beginning, our team has always been focused on providing timely and reliable plumbing solutions at an affordable price. Here on the blog, our main mission has consistently revolved around educating our customers on what they need to know about their plumbing system. This not only ensures they prevent plumbing emergencies from occurring, but also make sure they’re getting the best return on their investment.
All of that being said, this week’s blog is going to solely be centered around the holiday season and what plumbing tips you should keep in mind throughout December.
Careful With the Drains
In the midst of all the fun holiday festivities, one common theme you’ll notice is plenty of delicious foods and the dirty dishes that follow those meals. Add in more people in your home and it’s no surprise that clogged drains become a common service for plumbers across the country. As best as you can, our first holiday plumbing tip is to be careful with what goes down your drains or the garbage disposal. While it’s going to be tough to constantly keep an eye on it, try to make an effort to avoid throwing too many leftovers down the drain. And remember, while a garbage disposal can certainly handle small food particles, don’t push it’s capabilities too far. Otherwise, you’ll likely find yourself adding a new InSinkErator garbage disposal to your holiday shopping list!
Plan Ahead
For those that have followed our blog for a little while now, you likely are well aware of how we always emphasize approaching household plumbing in a proactive manner, rather than a reactive one. Planning ahead is a terrific way to limit the odds of plumbing emergencies occurring. As we often tell our customers, the longer you let a plumbing issue sit, the worse the problem can get. While Thanksgiving is already in the rearview mirror, some of you very well may have a week or so before the next round of holiday fun comes through. Having said that, take a moment to evaluate the current state of your plumbing.
Is there any repair that you’ve been putting off? Even if it’s a rather small problem, your schedule could be getting rather busy in a hurry and it might make sense to get the repair knocked out sooner rather than later.
Has your water heater been showing some warning signs of failing performance? If you have guests in town, the last thing you want is for the water heater to go out. Look at variables like the age of the water heater, as well as the size of the unit (in relation to your household size). Most reliable plumbing companies should be able to get a water heater replacement taken care of rather quickly, but it’s also not something you necessarily want to be scrambling for on Christmas Eve.
How about your garbage disposal? In the section above, I briefly discussed the added workload garbage disposals can see during the holiday season. While it’s always wise to watch what goes down them, that is sometimes easier said than done. Knowing that your garbage disposal will be used regardless, just make sure that it’s ready for the challenge.
Headed Out of Town?
While most of the topics mentioned thus far throughout this blog are geared towards those who may be hosting the holiday fun at their own house, there’s no doubt that plenty of people will be traveling this year too. And even if you’re celebrating at someone else’s house, that doesn’t mean you can completely ignore plumbing best practices either. If you are someone that will be headed out of town for the holidays, here’s a few helpful tips you might want to keep in mind before leaving home:
Don’t turn off the heat. It might be tempting to try and save a few bucks by turning off the heat. Unless you live in a warmer-climate, this is not going to be a good idea. Particularly for those of you living here in the Kansas City area, you are well aware that KC is no stranger to some extremely cold temperatures. Last February was a perfect example of this! Nonetheless, you’re going to want the heat on to prevent any frozen pipes that could always spell danger in terms of plumbing problems.
Take a look around. If you’re like most homeowners, plumbing isn’t something you necessarily think about until something actually goes wrong. With that in mind, it’s never a bad idea to take a look around some areas you might not regularly visit. For example, inspect the water heater. Does everything seem to be working properly? Is there any sitting water nearby? On some water heaters, you’ll notice that there is a vacation mode setting. If your water heater has this capability, consider turning it on before heading out of town.
Main water supply. Looking for a fool-proof way to prevent any major plumbing emergencies from occuring while you’re away? If so, your best bet could easily be turning off the main water supply line. While there’s no knowing when something severe may occur, this is a good safety plan in case anything were to happen. To add to it, turning off the main water supply won’t take you very much time and will at least ensure you’re protected!
Don’t Hesitate to Call Stine-Nichols!
Even with the best plumbing strategy in-place, there’s simply no way to prevent every single potential plumbing problem. However, with the right maintenance plan in-place, you can certainly limit most of them! With the holiday season here, we hope you found some useful advice throughout this blog post. We understand that the holidays can be both an extremely fun time with family and friends, as well as a very busy time. With that being said, the last thing you want to be thinking about is your plumbing.
If you happen to find yourself faced with any plumbing issues during the holiday season, you’re always more than welcome to give our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing a call. Clogged garbage disposals, water heater replacements, plumbing fixture installation, you name it and we can have a plumber out to you in no time. To request a free estimate, feel free to give our service team a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE. We currently serve the entire Kansas City area, as well as all of the surrounding cities, including Parkville, Liberty, Olathe, Overland Park, Lee’s Summit, Grandview and more!