The holidays bring a full house, a warm kitchen, and (if you’re not careful) a lot of extra strain on your plumbing. At Parthenon, our goal is simple: keep your home running smoothly so you can focus on the people you love. Here are a few expert tips to help you enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving.
1. Manage Your Food Waste
After finishing your incredible meal this holiday, don’t rush through the clean up! During this transition period it’s easy to hurry and cause mistakes that can impact your kitchen.
For those homes with garbage disposals, it’s important to know your appliance’s limits. Despite its name, we do not recommend putting any garbage through the hole in your sink! Instead, stick to food scraps. But even food scraps have a long list of do’s and don’ts.
What can I put in my garbage disposal?
Softer non-starchy food items are perfect for any disposal. This would include items like turkey meat, vegetable scraps, fruit scraps, casseroles and pumpkin pie.
As your local plumbing experts, we recommend discarding most hard foods as compost or trash. Hard foods can tax your disposal or cause it to fail, especially if it is older or operates at a low horsepower.
Now ice is different. It’s the only non-food item with a hard composition that is safe for your disposal. It has even picked up recently as a great way to clean your disposal.
To clean, simply take a tray of ice cubes and dump them into your sink. Turn on your disposal and allow the ice to do its work. The initial toughness of the ice helps break off any lingering food bits, meanwhile isn’t too hard on your disposal. To give your sink a fresh and cleanly smell, squeeze lemon juice in while the appliance breaks down the ice.
What should NOT go in the garbage disposal?
Hard items are the obvious food items to keep out of your disposal, like bones, corn cobs, shells and any non-food item.
Another temptation on Thanksgiving is disposing of grease, fats, and oil down the drain. According to a recent consumer report, 33% of users put grease and fats into their disposals, but don’t do it! These items specifically can cause blockages in your pipes. If you accidently have one of these items go down your drain, you’ll want to turn on your hot water to help flush out the intruder.
Another no-no is starchy foods like potatoes (yes, even mashed), pasta, rice, beans and noodles. These foods hold water and can expand, which if left sitting can burden your pipes and lead to clogs.
Finally, fibrous foods should be withheld from your disposal. The texture of these food (like corn husks or celery) can create a tangled mess in your sink and cause your disposal to malfunction.
Use the helpful graphic below as a quick reference of things a disposal can and cannot handle.:
If you do not have a disposal, things are much easier. However, we do recommend using a sufficient sink drain strainer while washing the dishes to keep your pipes happy and clog-free.
2. Space Out Hot Water Activities
With extra guests comes extra hot water demand. Spacing out showers, laundry, and dishwasher cycles can make a big difference, especially if you have a traditional water heater.
If you’re consistently running out of hot water, you’re not alone. Many Nashville homeowners switch to tankless for reliable, endless hot water and better overall efficiency. READ: 5 Benefits of a Tankless Water Heater
3. Have Plumbing & Drains Inspected by a Professional
The best way to enjoy a worry-free holiday is to have a quick plumbing checkup before the season kicks into gear. Our licensed Parthenon plumbers take a thorough, honest look at your entire system, spotting small issues before they turn into holiday-interrupting headaches.
What’s Included in a Plumbing Inspection?
A plumbing inspection includes a whole-home assessment of your plumbing with attention given to early leak detection/repair and clog prevention. We’ll make sure every plumbing fixture is working to its best ability. This service is included in our Parthenon Partners membership, giving homeowners year-round peace of mind through proactive, preventative care for both plumbing and HVAC systems.
Use the following graphic for a few bonus plumbing tips this Thanksgiving.
If you’d like extra peace of mind before the holiday rush, Parthenon is here for you. Call 615.298.2995 to get on the schedule. Our team will be off on Thanksgiving, but available for emergencies, and return to a limited schedule on Friday before resuming normal hours and rates on Saturday.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving from your Parthenon Plumbing, Heating, & AC Repair family!
