The holidays place additional demand on your home’s plumbing. More cooking means more grease and food scraps down the kitchen sink, and extra guests mean more showers, laundry, and bathroom use.
Along with cleaning your drains annually, a few plumbing tips can help you prevent holiday drain clogs with simple changes. However, if you’ve already noticed a slow drain, don’t wait for a holiday plumbing emergency during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Schedule a drain inspection with Chen Plumbing today.
Keep Grease, Fats, and Cooking Oils Out of Your Drains
Grease, fats, and cooking oils rinsed or poured down the sink cause most kitchen drain clogs because they cool quickly and stick to the inside of your pipes. When this happens, food particles and other debris flowing by get trapped in the tacky substance, progressively narrowing the water’s path down your pipes. This may ultimately cause a holiday drain clog in the form of a full pipe blockage.
The issue is compounded over the holidays, when time pressures and cooking volume both increase. No matter how easy it seems, don’t pour bacon grease, gravy, cooking oil, or pan drippings down the drain. Even small amounts contribute to buildup in the pipes.
Instead, let them cool in a disposable container, then throw them away according to local guidelines. If you don’t have disposable containers and don’t want to scrape the cooled sludge directly into the trash, pour it into a pan lined with aluminum foil to cool, then fold up the foil and dispose of it.
If your kitchen sink is already draining slowly, schedule professional clogged drain cleaning before your holiday guests arrive.
Be Careful What Goes Into Your Garbage Disposal
Other common holiday plumbing problems can result from improper garbage disposal use, which, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t designed to handle every type of food waste. For example, garbage disposal clogs are frequently caused by:
- Grease, fats, and cooking oils coating your pipes.
- Large or hard bones that jam or damage the unit.
- Coffee grounds that accumulate in clumps.
- Fibrous foods like celery, corn husks, and onion skins, whose fibers wrap around components.
- Large quantities of pasta, rice, or potatoes that expand or form a thick paste.
- Overloading, especially after a large holiday meal.
Use Sink Strainers To Catch Holiday Food Debris
Using a sink strainer to catch debris and scraps before they enter the drainpipe, and emptying the strainer into the trash, is one of the simplest ways to prevent clogged drains. If you’ve noticed your kitchen sink taking longer to drain even with a strainer in place, request a drain inspection to proactively prevent holiday drain clogs as the season kicks into high gear.
Don’t Overload Your Plumbing When Hosting Guests
When you host family and friends, more people use your kitchen and bathrooms, which means more water and waste moving through your system. If you already have a slow drain or partial blockage, that extra use can turn a minor problem into a backup right in the middle of the festivities.
Along with applying our holiday plumbing tips, schedule a drain cleaning before guests arrive to check for slow drains, unusual sounds, or toilets that aren’t draining normally.
Remind Guests What Shouldn’t Be Flushed
The only things that should ever be flushed down your toilet are toilet paper and human waste. Paper towels, wipes, feminine hygiene products, cotton products, and anything else all contribute to blockages, flushing problems, and overflows. When you’re hosting guests, this can be an awkward conversation. If you’re not comfortable talking about it, a simple bathroom sign above the toilet can remind guests what not to flush.
Know When a Clog Could Actually Be a Main Sewer Line Problem
Recurring drain clogs can sometimes point to a deeper plumbing problem. Multiple slow drains, recurring backups, sewage odors, gurgling sounds, or wastewater backing up into another fixture often indicate a more serious drain blockage or an issue with the main sewer line. A camera inspection can identify the source of the problem.
If you’re experiencing recurring backups in your Atlanta-area home, book a sewer line inspection before your next holiday gathering.
When Professional Drain Cleaning Is Better Than DIY Fixes
DIY slow drain fixes are fine if you’re clearing hair from a stopper, plunging your toilet, checking the P-trap under the sink, or running a hand auger a few feet down the line. Skip the store-bought chemical cleaners, though. They can soften PVC, corrode older pipes, and damage seals.
Call a licensed plumber if a clog keeps coming back, affects more than one fixture, or doesn’t respond to at-home measures. Contact our Atlanta team to schedule a drain cleaning service if you’re dealing with a recurring clog.
When Hydro Jetting May Be Recommended
Hydro jetting isn’t necessary for every clog, so the appropriate clearing approach depends on what’s causing the problem. For significant buildup inside a drain or sewer line, and if your pipes can handle it, we may recommend our hydro jetting service, which uses pressurized water jets to completely scour the pipe walls clean.
What To Do If You Have a Drain Emergency During the Holidays
The best way to prevent holiday drain clogs is to address warning signs before your plumbing is under the added pressure of holiday entertaining. Keeping grease and food debris out of drains, using sink strainers, and dealing with slow drains early can all help.
However, if you experience a drain emergency during the holidays, stop using the affected fixtures and call us immediately.
Professional Drain Cleaning Throughout Metro Atlanta
If you need drain cleaning in Atlanta, Chen Plumbing serves homeowners throughout the metro area and can help determine whether you need clog clearing, a sewer inspection, or more extensive plumbing work. We’re licensed and insured, and financing is available on qualifying sewer repair and replacement projects.
If you’re figuring out how to prevent drain clogs in the future, our Win With Chen! Plumbing Membership is another way to stay ahead. Members get a free annual inspection, priority scheduling, and more. Whatever your drain cleaning needs, our Atlanta team is here to help.
Schedule Your Next Drain Cleaning With the Experts at Chen Plumbing
Locally owned and operated, we’ve been delivering exceptional plumbing services across the metro Atlanta area since 1998. All our plumbers are seasoned professionals, selected for their integrity, professionalism, and technical skill. We’ll advise you ahead of our arrival with a courtesy call and a bio of who’s coming. Our technicians travel in fully stocked vans, which means we can usually complete any necessary repairs the same day.
Call us at 404-809-3213 or schedule your next inspection today.
