‘Tis the season for family, friends and plumbing emergencies. You are halfway through dinner preparations and the kitchen sink starts to back up, yikes! It happens all the time and believe us, it is a definite way to ruin the festivities. Here are some tips to help prevent an emergency from happening during such a busy time of year. 

Trash Can or Kitchen Sink?

Whether you have a garbage disposal or not, the kitchen drain is NOT a trash can.

• Avoid putting ANY kind of grease, solid or liquid, down your drain as it can solidify in your line and may cause a back up. After cooking, use a paper towel to wipe out any grease residue on your dish, then scrub with hot water and Dawn dish soap.

• Avoid putting any vegetable peels, bones, eggshells, poultry skin and excessive vegetables or fruits down your garbage disposal to keep it performing at its best

Guests in town?

Toilets are used excessively this time of year.

• Remind your guests that flushing foreign objects can cause an issue for toilets.

• Avoid flushing feminine hygiene products, paper towels, cotton swabs, cotton balls and baby wipes. These are the most common issues for toilet back ups and can cause an overflow. 

Leaving town?

Don’t let a phone call from your neighbor ruin your holiday plans because you have a leaking pipe or water seeping from your garage door.

• When leaving town and the temperatures are forecasted to be below freezing, shut the water off to your house and drain the pipes by opening any indoor and outdoor faucets to let the excess water drain.

• Turn off the fuel source (gas or electric) to your water heater and save some $$ while you're gone!

Finally, if all else fails, call All Pro Rooter & Plumbing for all of your emergency and preventative needs.

Don’t let your plumbing ruin the most wonderful time of the year!