Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us! We at Affordable Heating, Cooling & Plumbing understand the value of good, solid piping and structure in your home. We want everyone to be more educated and knowledgeable when it comes to plumbing. The holidays are a time for family and friends, we don’t want to see you stuck with a plumbing emergency. Extra guests around the holidays put a strain on a home’s plumbing system, which results in more emergency calls. We don’t want to see this happen to you, read our tips and tricks below to try and avoid this!

Kitchen Plumbing:

• 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.
• Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposer to flush waste down the main line.
• Turn on the disposer before adding food debris.
• Run the dishwasher at night or at off times to conserve hot water and maintain adequate water pressure for your guests.

Bathroom Plumbing:

• 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 shower head, 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.

Prevent Frozen Pipes

If water freezes within a pipe, it will expand and crack the pipe. Just like that soda pop can experiment you may have tried when you were younger, you will notice the expansion and explosion when you freeze it. The same thing happens within a frozen pipe, which ultimately can cost you time and money.

The water expanding into ice within the pipe can cause an increase in water pressure. This blockage can create excessive pressure throughout the system and cause pipe failure in vulnerable places. Generally, water pipes in higher places like attics, garages, crawl spaces, or outside walls are typically the most vulnerable locations for a potential frozen pipe emergency.

Prevent Frozen Pipes:

• Install pipes in an insulated place.
• Bury pipes lower in the ground, below frost line.
• Install pipes in heated spaces, avoid attics and garages whenever possible.
• Fit pipes with insulation sleeves or wrapping.
• Letting a faucet drip during extreme cold weather can prevent a pipe from bursting.

Hopefully, these tips and tricks can help you avoid a plumbing disaster this holiday season. If you have any questions, please contact us! Happy holidays from everyone here at Affordable Heating, Cooling & Plumbing!