The festive season is basically here, and it’s one of the most exciting (and stressful) times of the year!
Entertaining guests can be stressful, and the last thing you need is plumbing issues during the festive season. To ensure a smooth holiday gathering, prioritise the cleanliness and functionality of your home.
Extra guests mean added pressure on utilities like toilets, showers, and sinks. Planning ahead is key to avoid plumbing disasters when you have people over. Take proactive steps now to prevent any last-minute calls to the plumber.
Prepare the kitchen
Busy kitchens and extra waste can result in oils, grease, gravies, and small food items ending up in your sink and causing a blockage.
One of the most basic and essential preparations you can do for your kitchen is to ensure you have strainers over your sinkholes. This will allow it to catch extra debris from winding up in your pipes.
If there are greasy dishes, rinse them under hot running water before putting them in the dishwasher or handwashing them. Once you have finished washing the dishes, let hot water run down the drain for at least 60 seconds to wash away the grease in the drain. This avoids clogging your kitchen drain, which can lead to an emergency.
And if this doesn’t do the trick, you should always contact a local plumber you know and trust to give your sink a professional inspection.
Check the hot water system
Can your hot water system keep up with everyone using hot water? Keeping in mind that hot water is also regularly used for washing dishes and running the washing machine.
An overworked hot water system can lead to your showers taking forever to heat up or not staying hot for long. So, encourage your guests to stagger their showers during the day, and consider running your dishwasher when everyone is in bed or away to relieve the pressure on your hot water system.
If you think your hot water system is running inefficiently, this could also mean that a system maintenance is overdue. Hot water systems should be regularly serviced, especially in the lead-up to Christmas, so be sure to get it checked to ensure it is in top working order.
Toilet maintenance
If you have bathrooms and toilets that are hardly used, give them a trial run to ensure they are in working order for your guests. This will help you avoid unwanted experiences, such as blocked toilets or leaky taps and pipes.
Besides that, your toilets should have a bin for toilet rolls, sanitary items, baby wipes, and other non-flushable items. Rubbish bins will prevent guests from flushing them down the toilet, which can cause severe blockages. Lastly, if you have any leakage, bubbling, or gurgling noises from the toilet, don’t wait to get it checked by a professional.
Christmas entertaining should be stress-free, and the last thing you’d want to worry about is your plumbing season. So, if you need additional help in getting your home ready for the festive season, call Seaview Plumbing to assist you!
To speak to our friendly team, call Seaview Plumbing at 1 300 634 308. Alternatively, you can send us an email or message us on Facebook.