Are you hosting a Christmas party, dinner, or family get-together soon? If so, be sure you take the necessary precautions to prevent certain plumbing disasters that are quite common during the holiday season. Continue reading to learn some of the most frequent plumbing mishaps that happen around this time of year, and what you can do to abate such messes.

Clogged Toilets
Clogged toilets are among the most common plumbing repair during the holidays. For starters, we are consuming more food during the yuletide celebration, and it’s not necessarily the healthiest, giving way to more bathroom breaks. We are also drinking a bit more, as the champagne and cozy cocktails tend to flow more easily this time of year. This also requires us to take more bathroom breaks.
Combining these factors with overnight guests, feeding a crowd, and playing children who like to flush things (like tree ornaments), clogged toilets are a frequent plumbing mishap around Christmas. It can be a bit tricky trying to prevent clogged toilets. The best approach is to simply mention to your guests to be mindful of what they flush. You can even slyly imply that your toilets are a bit fussy.
Garbage Disposals
Like children who like to flush tree ornaments down the toilet, you might also have a guest or two drop things down the drain without your knowledge. So later, when you try to use the garbage disposal, you get that wonderful crackling, screeching noise you loathe so much. This can do quite a bit of damage to the disposal itself, as well as the connecting plumbing lines beneath the sink.
Things like fruit wedges, eggshells, toothpicks, shot glasses, corks, and even napkins are common finds inside sink drains this time of year. Avoid this problem by designating a large garbage bin far away from the sink to encourage guests to toss their extra garnishes there. You can also add drain strainer covers to all your sink drains to stop large objects from falling inside.
Water Heaters
It is quite possible for your increased occupancy over the holidays to have an affect on your hot water supply. If you are having overnight guests stay with you this Christmas, your water heater may not be able to accommodate the added demand for hot water. In this case, you could be facing a week of luke-warm or cold showers.
To combat this issue, set up a shower schedule for everyone, with enough time in between for your water heater to regenerate. You can also turn down the temperature setting on your water heater to control the maximum amount of heat your guests can utilize per shower.
Where to Get Emergency Plumbing Repair in Indianapolis
Call Weilhammer Plumbing Co. Inc. at 317-784-1870 for professional plumbing services and water heater repair in Indianapolis, Indiana. Owner and Master plumber, Mark Weilhammer, is happy to give you free advice, anytime. Our highly trained and licensed plumbers provide a wide range of residential and commercial plumbing services. And as a family owned and operated company since 1901, you can trust us to deliver outstanding workmanship and customer support. Request a free estimate, today.
