Thanksgiving Clean-up: Four Ways to Help Prevent Plumbing Disasters
Thanksgiving may be one of the more common times of the year when you're dealing with the most amount of cooked food in your home. While eating it all may be delicious, dealing with the clean-up afterwards can be a huge hassle. It's easy for people to get lazy and try to take the easy way out. Unfortunately, the easy way can often result in major problems in the future. As you deal with turkey day leftovers, it's important to be aware of your plumbing and help prevent any disasters from occurring.
Fats, Grease, and Gravy
A traditional Thanksgiving meal is filled with all kinds of fatty and greasy elements and a whole lot of turkey. While a lot of these elements may be considered liquids, they can create major problems for your plumbing system. A fatty or greasy liquid can become a solid as it clings to your pipes and dries up. When this occurs, your home could be dealing with major clogs. If you have a disposable aluminum pan that was used for Thanksgiving meals, then it's best to pour all of the fats and grease into the pan. While sitting out overnight, the liquids will harden, allowing you to easily dispose of the pan in a garbage.
If a clog does occur, then you should contact a plumber to help with the situation. A plumber can use a plumbing snake to help clear out the drains and remove any build-up that has occurred. The first signs of this will typically be a slow draining process or loud gurgling sound deep in the pipes.
Flushing Leftovers
Many homeowners see their toilet as a much larger sink drain. This makes it tempting to dispose of leftover foods and send it down the drain. While toilet drains are much bigger than sink drains, they can create major problems for your home. A toilet is made to handle human waste, not food waste. Human waste can break down much easier and create clear pipes to drain from. Food waste can take a long time to break down and cause major clogs in a sewer line or septic tank. If this is the case, then a plumber can clear the lines and drain out the septic tank to help eliminate any problems.
Garbage Disposals
Homes with garbage disposals have a little extra help when dealing with Thanksgiving clean-up. When using a garbage disposal, it's important to have only small amounts of food get into the disposal. Stringy vegetables, large pieces of meat, or egg shells can all cause major problems with the disposal. If your disposal has clogged or malfunctioned, it's important to call a plumber instead of trying to deal with the issue yourself. This can help get the disposal repaired quickly and prevent the problem from getting worse.