The holidays are coming, bringing together family, friends and a few plumbing emergencies. A majority of Americans take part in holiday parties with 11 or more guests around Thanksgiving and Christmas. These extra guests put a serious strain on a home’s plumbing system, which results in more emergency calls to plumbers. The last thing you want to do is call a plumber before, during or after a big holiday gathering.

Big holiday meals require a busy kitchen. Too much grease and food finds its way into the kitchen drain. Foods that shouldn’t go into the garbage disposal sometimes find a way there. Holiday guests also equate to extra showers, bath and lots of extra toilet flushes. It all adds up to potential plumbing disasters.

Pipes clog because of a gradual buildup of grease, hair, soap or food particles. All it takes it one major overload, like a house full of guests, to exasperate the situation and create a clogged drain. Follow these tips to avoid a plumbing disaster.

In the kitchen:

• Avoid pouring fats or cooking oils down the drain because liquid fats solidify in the pipes and create clogs.
• Wipe congealed grease from pots.
• Never put hard-to-grind, stringy, fibrous waste into the garbage disposer (poultry skins, carrots, celery, pumpkin pulp or banana peels). The disposer can’t sufficiently grind these items and they will clog your sink drain.
• Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposal to flush waste down the main line.
• Turn on the disposal before adding food debris.
• Before putting dishes in the dishwasher, scrape food bits off the plates, pots and pans. Winter/holiday cooking can be tough on dishwashers.
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine at night or at off times to conserve water temperature and pressure for your guests.

In the bathroom:

• Plan ahead, spread out showers throughout the day; wait 10 minutes between showers rather than taking one right after another.
• Turn up the water heater slightly to retain hot water. To avoid scalding, do not exceed 125°F.
• If shower pressure is weak, pour a cup of vinegar into a plastic bag, place it over the showerhead, and soak. Use a twist tie to hold it in place overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and use an old toothbrush to gently scrub off the mineral deposits to help restore water flow.
• Provide a trash bin in the bathroom so the toilet isn’t used as a garbage can. Never flush cotton swabs, cotton balls, hair, facial scrub pads, diapers, sanitary products or similar items down the toilet. These items will not easily dissolve and are responsible for most clogs.

This are simple tips and very easy to do. A little pre-holiday thought and planning can go a long way in ensuring that your gatherings and celebrations go smoothly and are problem-free.

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In the case of an emergency like a leaking faucet or a bursting pipe in the bathroom or kitchen, you can turn the water valves to stop the flow of water which stops the water from getting all over the house. It is also a good idea to teach children, who are old enough to stay home by themselves, where the valves are located.

Each sink in your house has a water valve. There are water valves for the toilets in your house as well. And your washing machine also has water valves. The question is – do you know where they are located should you need to turn them off in an emergency?

We are showing you the individual water valves for the sinks, toilets and washing machine. There is a main house valve, when you need to turn the water off in the entire house. However, shutting off these valves, directly connected to the fixture will give you time to call a professional plumber and get him to your house to fix the problem.

When turning off these water valves, you want to turn clockwise (or to the right). When turning the valves back on, turn counter clockwise (or to the left). Typically newer valves will require only a ¼ turn to close however some valves will require several turns to close. Unfortunately some of the older valves requiring several turns have a high failure rate and may not actually stop the flow of water. It is recommended that these valves be replaced with a ¼ turn valve.

Under the Kitchen Sink

Here are a couple of photos that show 2 different types of turn-off valves. This will help you recognize them, if you have one or the other. They are easy to locate when you look in the cabinet under the sink.

Under the Bathroom Sink

As with the kitchen sink, they are easy to locate in the bathroom as well. These samples are open, pedestal type sinks but when there is a cabinet in the bathroom the valves are still easily identifiable if you need to turn off the water quickly.

Washing Machine Water Valves

A burst washing machine hose can discharge 500 gallons of water in one hour, which will cause flooding problems quickly. The water valves are easy to locate. It may be behind the washing machine or it can be located above the washer. See the two samples below.

Toilet Water Valves

They are located right behind the toilet. You will have to get down on hands and knees to reach it but it is easy to find.

Hopefully you will not have an emergency with leaking faucets or burst pipes, but if you do, you know where to find the valves to turn off the water.

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In the summer, you do all you can to stay cool in the hot summer days of Arizona. In the fall and winter, even though we do not get bone-chilling cold days like the east coast and mid-west, you still want to get the most out of your HVAC system (air conditioner in the warm weather and furnace in the colder weather). You want to save energy and be sure the heat is not getting out, causing your utility bills to skyrocket. There are simple things you can do to stay warm and save energy:

• Install a programmable thermostat – If you haven’t done so already, consider a programmable thermostat. As you do in the summer, you can control the temperature in your house by reducing the energy usage during the daytime hours, while your home is empty during school and work time.
• Replace your filters each month – As you do in the summer months, clean air filters will allow your heating system to work well, as efficiently as possible and even help extend the life of your system. With an efficient system, this will help you save money on monthly utility bills.
• Schedule your bi-annual preventive maintenance servicing – A great time to do your preventive maintenance servicing is when the weather is not too hot or too cold, so that you prevent issues that may arise. You don’t want to be forced to call your HVAC professional in the 100+ degree weather or, conversely, on the coldest day of the year.
• Seal air leaks – You want to be sure no heat is escaping through windows, doors or at the base of doorways.
• Keep curtains and shades open during the day – And close them at night. Take advantage of the natural sunshine during daytime hours when you have the thermostat set for minimal heat.
• Change thermostat batteries – The change of seasons (fall and spring) are a great time to change the batteries in the thermostat to be sure they are operating properly.

As you can see, these steps outlined above are simple. They can make a difference in your comfort at home.

For more information on how we can help you save BIG this season, contact us NOW: (602) 470-1040

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