Prepare Your Spring, Plumbing for Holiday Gatherings
With the holiday season already in full swing, your plumbing system undergoes a workout every time you entertain. With every family feast and overnight guest comes more flushing, dishwashing, and showering, all of which strain your pipes, drains, and appliances.
The last thing you need during this joyous time with family and friends is a leaky pipe, a clogged drain, or a water heater that can’t keep up with demand.
At Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling, we know a dose of preparation can keep your Spring, home comfortable, efficient, and stress-free when guests arrive. Extra holiday traffic is always fun, but it doesn’t have to push your plumbing to its limits.
We prepared this guide to help you prevent plumbing mishaps over the holidays. We want you to enjoy the season without having to deal with leaks, clogs, and breakdowns:
1. Why Prep Plumbing for the Holidays?
2. Is Your Kitchen Ready for Company?
3. Can Your Bathroom Handle a Crowd?
4. Proactive Steps for Your Water Heater
5. Do-It-Yourself Holiday Plumbing Prep
6. Professional Holiday Plumbing Prep
7. Make Plumbing Preparation a Priority
Our goal is to ensure your plumbing runs smoothly all season long, allowing you to focus on your guests, not your drains.
Why Prep Your Plumbing for the Holidays?
When hosting a holiday event, water consumption and waste production can increase substantially. Your garbage disposal works overtime processing food scraps, your drains face an onslaught of debris, and your water heater struggles to supply back-to-back hot showers.
If your water heater, drains, or sewer line are already strained, the added activity can quickly reveal hidden issues. Slow drains or mineral buildup in the water heater can escalate into expensive emergencies.
Even minor warning signs, such as inconsistent hot water, or a slight odor from the sink, can be clues that something needs attention before the holidays begin. Catching and correcting these problems early can save you from a holiday plumbing emergency later.
Is Your Kitchen Ready for Company?
The kitchen is the heart of every holiday gathering. It is also the most common area in your Spring, home for plumbing issues, with your garbage disposal and sink drains seeing significant use this time of year.
Be careful with what goes down the drain. Keep grease, fats, and cooking oils out of your kitchen sink drain and garbage disposal to prevent clogs. These liquids cool and harden inside your pipes, trapping other debris and leading to blockages. Instead, collect the grease in a disposable container and toss it in the trash once it has solidified.
Avoid feeding tough or fibrous foods like celery, potato peels, or pasta to your garbage disposal. They can gum up the works. Run cold water before, during, and after using the unit to help wash away food particles. Occasionally, grind a handful of ice cubes and a little coarse salt to clean minor buildup.
If you notice the sink draining slowly, try flushing with hot water and dish soap to break up minor grease buildup. If the problem persists, or if multiple drains are sluggish, your main sewer line may be clogged. That’s a sign to call us at Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling for professional drain cleaning.
Can Your Bathroom Handle a Crowd?
You and your overnight guests use toilets, showers, and sinks every day during the holidays. You demand a lot from your bathroom plumbing and expect it to work smoothly regardless of the strain it is under.
Now is the perfect time to walk through your bathrooms and ensure everything is in top condition. Replace old toilet flappers, check for leaking valves and dripping faucets, and test each bathroom drain to confirm they are functioning properly.
Correcting minor problems restores comfort and saves money. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says fixing household leaks can save homeoners approximately 10 percent on their water bills.
Installing drain screens can help prevent hair and soap scum from forming clogs.
It’s also smart to remind guests what not to flush down the toilet. Products labeled as flushable, such as wipes and feminine hygiene items, for example, should be disposed of properly. These products are tougher than toilet paper, don’t easily break down, and can clog your drains.
Keeping a trash can near the toilet helps everyone avoid the temptation to use the toilet as a catchall for garbage.
Protect Your Water Heater
With your water heater working harder than ever during the holidays, running out of hot water becomes a real possibility—and your guests will notice if it does!
During an inspection and tune-up, our Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling professional can identify sediment buildup, corrosion, or wear that could weaken performance. Sediment reduces the unit’s capacity and efficiency, forcing it to work harder and making it more likely to run out of hot water after just a couple of showers.
In many cases, simply flushing your water heater can improve efficiency and extend its lifespan.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Holiday Plumbing Prep
Although a professional inspection is the best option, there are DIY steps you can take to prepare your Spring, home for guests over the holidays.
Disposal and Kitchen Drains: Before allowing guests to help in the kitchen, tell them which foods are not suitable for the garbage disposal and emphasize the rules regarding fats, oils, and grease. Post a small sign near the sink as a gentle reminder. Test your disposal and clean it with ice cubes and citrus peels to freshen it.
If your kitchen sink drain is slow, it may be clogged. Use a cup-shaped plunger to try breaking up the blockage.
Bathroom: Leave a plunger near each toilet, particularly in guest bathrooms. Station a trash can near each toilet to encourage guests to dispose of their hygiene products and other non-flushable items. Consider posting a small sign in each bathroom politely reminding guests to flush only toilet paper and human waste.
Water Heater: Increase the water heater temperature by a few degrees, but not beyond 120° Fahrenheit, if you expect more showers than usual. Schedule a water heater inspection and flush for optimal performance.
Drains and Fixtures: Run hot water through all drains weekly to help clear residue. Check under sinks for damp spots or small leaks. If only one drain is running slowly, try plunging it or using a drain auger. If all drains are slow, your sewer line likely needs to be unclogged and professionally cleared.
Professional Holiday Plumbing Prep
The most effective way to avoid emergency plumbing repairs in Spring is professional preventative care. While you are busy planning holiday dining, guest accommodations, and family fun, one of our licensed plumbers at Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling can take plumbing chores off your plate.
A professional inspection goes far beyond what a homeowner can see or access:
Drains and Sewer Line: We use specialized tools to inspect and clean your drains and sewer line, ensuring they are clear and free of clogs. For older homes, a professional sewer camera inspection can reveal hidden tree root intrusion or other forms of deterioration.
Fixtures and Pipes: Our plumbers check all toilets in your home for flushing power and leaks. We also examine faucets, showers, valves, and pipe connections for leaks.
Water Pressure: We evaluate your home’s water pressure to ensure it is within a safe range, preventing stress on older pipes and appliances.
Water Heater: We inspect the heater and can flush out sediment if needed.
Kitchen Appliances: We will check your garbage disposal and dishwasher for potential issues.
This proactive approach gives you peace of mind and helps prevent costly repairs during your holiday celebrations.
Make Plumbing Preparation a Priority
Let Milton Frank Plumbing & Cooling prepare your plumbing for your holiday get-togethers. From drain cleaning to water heater maintenance, our team solves and prevents plumbing problems in homes throughout Spring, TX, The Woodlands, and the North Houston area. Call us at 281-645-9596 or request service online.