Summer is always fun to celebrate when a holiday is the first to greet it. The 4th of July is perfect for it since friends and relatives can come over for a BBQ. With all these guests in your home, it can mean a lot of preparation and planning. Even with all this planning, issues that you don’t plan for can still happen. Plumbing disasters are one of the issues.
To help you prepare for a celebration in your home, we’d like to suggest a few plumbing tips. These tips will help you prevent flooding and damage to your pipes and home that can otherwise cause a damper on a fun event.
Watch What Goes In the Kitchen Sink
A kitchen is the heart of a home and it reflects when a party is going on. Unfortunately, this also means a bigger mess to clean up and less control over what’s going down the sink drain. When you have to clean the dishes, your kitchen sink may suffer the most.
Leftover food, sauce, and grease can stick to the utensils and plates. This will cause a buildup in your pipes which can make a party difficult to enjoy if you have a clogged and overflowing sink. As it goes with plumbing tips, a grease trap is one of the best methods to prevent this.
By installing a grease trap to your kitchen sink, you’ll keep grease, oil, and fats from entering your pipes. It’ll also prevent bad or foul odors from drifting back up through the drain. Even if you have a garbage disposal, a grease trap will catch what it doesn’t.
Avoid The Common Issue of Toilet Clogs
One of the worst things that can happen to a party is when the toilet becomes clogged. Every guest is bound to use the bathroom at least once during their visit.
With every use, your toilet’s chances of becoming clogged rise. Another plumbing tip to consider would be to keep a plunger next to every toilet in your home.
This will help to prevent a clog and an overspill of water. For most guests, if they see that they’ve created a clog, they can use it without creating an embarrassing issue in your home.
Always Locate Your Shutoff Valve
If a plunger doesn’t work as quickly as it should, knowing where the shutoff valve is crucial. This will cut off the water supply to the toilet and lessen the amount of water damage to your floor. Most models have the shutoff valve at the end of the small pipe leading into the wall.
Take a wrench and twist the bolt clockwise to turn off the water. Shutoff valves may vary depending on the model, however. It’s always good to check this when you have a new toilet installed.
As minuscule as these plumbing tips may seem, they can help prevent larger problems. A party is a time to celebrate and have fun and not a time to worry about an emergency call for a plumber.
If you are having plumbing issues, please feel free to give our local plumbers a call. We’ll be happy to help with any questions or concerns you have and talk you through the steps you need to prevent further plumbing issues.