You might be surprised to learn that the holidays and just after is a big season for plumbers. That’s because the increased usage of kitchens and hot water that comes with household gatherings can cause a number of plumbing issues. Here are the most common post-holiday plumbing problems to keep an eye out for.
Over the holidays, you’re likely to be gathering for parties and large meals, which means more cooking than usual. With more cooking comes more use of the kitchen drain, and more probability that something that shouldn’t go down the drain will accidentally end up down the drain. If the influx of kitchen use over the holidays results in food bits, cooking grease, and other debris getting washed down the sink, you may find yourself with a drain that clogs easily after the holidays. Try to be mindful of what goes down the drain (and let any guests who may be using your kitchen know to do the same) and schedule a professional drain cleaning in the new year to make sure that your drains are clog-free.
That increased kitchen usage, especially if you have people visiting and cooking in your kitchen, can also result in a broken garbage disposal. More food scraps will be going into the garbage disposal and guests might not realize what can and can’t go in the garbage disposal. Because of this, a common problem over the holidays is garbage disposals that are blunted, clogged, or otherwise not working properly.
With cold temperatures and an array of houseguests, your household water heater usage is likely to increase significantly over the holiday season. All that extra usage can exacerbate minor problems in your water heater or just be too much if the unit is old and not working as well as it used to. This is why the holidays or just after is a common time for water heaters to fail. The best way to prevent this is to have your water heater serviced before the holidays–that way, your plumber will catch any issues and you can address them before your hot water usage increases over the holidays.
If you’re not able to get your water heater serviced before the holidays, just be aware that the increased usage could cause problems, be on the lookout for any signs of malfunctioning, and call a plumber right away if you notice any issues.
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