Tips for Preparing Your Plumbing System for a Huge Gathering

Holidays and special events like birthdays present an opportunity to host parties and entertain large gatherings in our homes. A lot of attention goes towards food, drinks, and entertainment to offer your guests a memorable experience. The plumbing system often gets overlooked. Huge gatherings can take a toll on your plumbing system. They can leave you dealing with serious plumbing disasters and costly repairs from emergency plumbers. So, be sure to prepare your plumbing system for a huge gathering before your upcoming party or family get-together. The following seven actionable tips will help you do that.

1. Do Not Clean Your Toilet with Colored Tablets

You want your toilet to be sparkling before inviting guests into your home. That is perfectly understandable. You should, however, avoid using colored tablets marketed as cleaning and disinfecting solutions. These tablets often destroy seals in your toilet and cause an unsightly mess to leak on your bathroom floor.

A scrub sponge, brush, and vinegar are all you need to scrub your toilet. Follow these steps to achieve an exceptional result:

Pour a glass of vinegar inside the bowl
Use a brush to swing the vinegar around the bowl
Scrub the outside of the toilet with a scrub sponge
Wash the bowl with a brush once the outer part is spotless

2. Repair Leaks in the Toilet

You might have a plumbing leak even if there are no water puddles around your toilet’s base. Be sure to inspect the entire toilet for leaks. You might discover leaks around the flapper. Don’t leave these leaks unaddressed. Doing so will cause your water bill to skyrocket, especially after entertaining a large gathering in your home. You can avoid this problem by buying and installing a new flapper ahead of time. You can perform the installation job yourself.

3. Clear Your Clogged Drains Before the Guests Arrive

Ensure your drains are clean before guests arrive for the party or get-together. You can do that by pouring a glass of baking soda plus a glass of white vinegar on the drain. Give the mixture a couple of minutes to react. Next, pour warm water to remove hair, food particles, soap scum, and other debris from your pipe.

4. Do Not Flush Greasy Food Down Your Kitchen Sink

You are likely to prepare fried and greasy foods for your guests. Ensure these items do not get into your drain. Grease can block your pipes, as it usually solidifies and hardens after cooling. Wipe any fats remaining on the pans, pots, or plates with a soft piece of clothing before washing them in the sink or dishwasher. Alternatively, buy paper plates and dispose of the plates after use.

5. Place Wastebaskets in Convenient Locations

Put empty trash cans in your bathroom and kitchen. Doing this will ensure your guests have somewhere to throw out the trash. They will not force all trash down your toilet or place it in the garbage disposal unit. Ensure your trash cans are conveniently located. Also, show your visitors their exact location.

6. Use Your Garbage Disposal for the Correct Purpose

Garbage disposals are designed to handle bite-sized food pieces. Large pieces are harmful to your unit. So, whenever you want to dispose of a large piece, you should cut it into tiny pieces around one inch long. Throw your leftovers in a wastebasket if you cannot reduce them into small pieces.

Do not throw greasy and starchy foods into your unit. Inedible items should also not go into your unit. Grease turns into solid and hardens in the disposal, clogging or jamming it. Starchy items like artichokes and corn husks can also clog or jam your unit.

Allow cold water from your kitchen sink to run into your disposal unit immediately after turning it on. Leave the water running for a minute for adequate lubrication of the blades. Never run hot water into your unit, as it may cause oils on the food to melt as you dispose of the food. The outcome will be a clogged or jammed unit.

7. Use Strainers

Some of your guests might bring their kids along. So, expect different kinds of debris to find their way into your drain. Place strainers in your drains to protect your pipes and plumbing fixtures from stubborn clogs.

Place strainers in your kitchen sink to prevent food particles from blocking your drains and pipes. Put strainers in your shower and bathtub if you will be hosting your visitors for a couple of days. Clean your strainers whenever drainage slows.

Preparing for a large holiday gathering involves more than just food, drinks, and entertainment. You also need to be sure that your plumbing system can withstand the stress. The above tips will help prepare your home’s plumbing system for a large gathering. Be sure to hire a plumber to help resolve issues you cannot handle yourself.

Photo source WiP-Studio