Did you know that the most likely time for The Maynard Man to get a call about plumbing services is during the holidays! Yup, it’s our busiest time of year—but we won’t say favorite time of year, because we don’t want you to suffer the consequences of plumbing in disrepair.
If you don’t properly prepare, however, you could find yourself in hot water—or actually, without it—this holiday season, and up to your elbows in other plumbing problems as well.
Read on to learn about the common holiday plumbing problems we get called for and tips on how to avoid them.
Get a Water Heater Tune-Up
While 2020 was a bad example, this year you’re probably hosting more guests in your home over the holiday season. Whether you have a conventional tank water heater or a tankless system, it can get overwhelmed if too many people need hot water at once.
Sure, you can ask your guests to limit their shower times, and you can try to time your dishwashing, bathing, and clothes washing just right to avoid a chilly surprise. But it’s probably easier to go ahead and schedule water heater maintenance if you haven’t already this year.
We can check for problems and let you know if you may need more hot water capacity and would benefit from an upgrade this holiday season.
Be Careful What You Put Down the Kitchen Sink
The garbage disposal system in your kitchen sink is a really handy appliance. It can’t handle everything though. The holiday season tends to make this pretty obvious for far too many homeowners.
Whether it’s meat bones and fruit pits, or eggshells and potato skins, people often try to put things down their kitchen sink that just don’t belong there. As a result, you could end up with a broken garbage disposal system and/or clogged and backed-up kitchen sink drain.
Oh, and before you reach for that bottle of liquid drain cleaner you got at the store, remember … those “solutions” have caustic chemicals in them that can actually eat away at your pipes over time, so they’re not a great solution after all!
Prevent Frozen Pipes
When temperatures drop below freezing, guess what gets affected? The water sitting in your pipes—particularly your exposed and outdoor pipes! Unfortunately, the water doesn’t just easily thaw when temperatures warm up again. Negative pressure is created as the ice thaws, resulting in burst pipes and plumbing floods as a result.
The best way to prevent frozen pipes is to shut off the water supply to your outdoor plumbing for the season and buy insulating sleeves for any other exposed pipes, for example in your basement or under the sinks in your home.
Schedule Annual Plumbing Maintenance
During your plumbing maintenance, we’ll not only check your water heater but we’ll also clean your drains to help prevent stubborn clogs from forming. We can look at your entire plumbing system using what’s called video camera inspection and spot any signs of problems, like potential buildups or even leaks.
From there, we can make recommendations for repairs for you to get on your schedule before the holiday season begins.
Need a Helping Hand, Call The Maynard Man! We are your trusted Nashville plumber.
