While shoppers are out snagging deals on Black Friday, plumbers are also experiencing their busiest day of the year. So we thought, “What better time than now to give you some Thanksgiving plumbing tips that could save your holiday.”

If nothing else, these tips will ensure that your time with family and friends goes much more smoothly.

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Thanksgiving Plumbing Tips for Kitchen & Bath

Plumbing problems spike by 50 percent the day after Thanksgiving — and it’s no doubt why.

Kitchens and bathrooms are the most frequently used rooms in a home on Turkey Day. They cause more plumbing incidents than normal. Although wonderful, having the whole family over — with all that food and those greasy dishes — can be detrimental to your plumbing and drains.

Follow these 5 Thanksgiving plumbing tips to avoid expensive problems, like those that come with a turkey bone thrown down your garbage disposal.

Thanksgiving plumbing tips - busiest day for plumbers — Did you know this? It’s true! Prevent your Thanksgiving holiday from being ruined by expensive plumbing work. Make sure you follow our 5 tips instead.

1. Prepare Your House Before Thanksgiving

It can be tempting to put off plumbing or drain issues until after the holidays. But this Thanksgiving plumbing tip is so easy.

Get a professional — before the holiday festivities begin — to check for clogged drains or leaky toilets. This will keep a simple plumbing problem from turning into something more serious.

Plumbing requires maintenance. And scheduling sink, toilet, shower, and water heater repairs before a family visit will go a long way in helping you enjoy your Thanksgiving.

1-Tom-Plumber Cincinnati emergency plumbing service team — Plumbing needs to be maintained to be reliable. So consider scheduling a plumber before your festivities to make sure everything is working correctly.

2. Make Sure the Disposal is Working

Running hot water — before putting food debris into your garbage disposal — is one easy but important preventative measure you can take to avoid a clogged sink drain. Turn on the faucet and the disposal for a few seconds to let the drain fill with water.

Also, keep the water running a bit (maybe a minute) after you’re done using the garbage disposal to avoid clogs from food waste.

If you run into problems, there’s a reset button on the bottom of your disposal. Try hitting that and see if your problem is corrected. If not, contact a plumber.

Thanksgiving plumbing tips - reset garbage disposal before dinner — If worse comes to worst, try hitting the reset button on your garbage disposal. This might get it running again. And make sure it’s plugged in (yes, we’ve seen that happen before!). Do this to make sure it’s running correctly before your Thanksgiving event gets started.

3. Don’t Throw Leftovers Down the Drain

Your garbage disposal isn’t a garbage can. Your sink can easily become clogged from an excess of sweet potatoes, turkey skin and bones, and grease.

Throw any sticky, starchy leftovers in the trash or a compost pile. Don’t put anything hard down your disposal either, such as nuts or bones. Wipe up any greasy pots and pans with a paper towel and throw them in the trash.

troubleshoot a garbage disposal - kitchen sink plumbing clogged — We tend to think of garbage disposals as “anything goes” drains. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. There are many foods that should never go into a drain or disposal. Keep grease and sticky, starchy, or hard items away from your sink drain. Use the trash for those items.

4. Prevent Toilet Clogs

Here’s an unpleasant truth: everyone poops. And with more guests and family members over, well, you get the point. The best way to avoid toilet clogs is by watching what goes down your toilet.

The only items that should be flushed down a toilet are toilet paper and human waste. Everything else — such as flushable wipes (no, they’re actually not flushable!), wet wipes, feminine products, Q-tips, cotton balls, cigarette butts, hair, cat litter, or paper towels — needs to go in a trash can.

Placing a flange-style toilet plunger in guest bathrooms can also save your guests the embarrassment of asking for one. Also, place a cup-style plunger under your kitchen sink. Trust us, you don’t want to use a toilet plunger in your kitchen sink (and vice versa).

Thanksgiving plumbing tips - keep plunger in bathroom — Place a toilet-style plunger in every bathroom to keep your guests from having to ask for one. It will save you trouble and your guest a lot of embarrassment. Also, make sure you keep a cup-style plunger under your kitchen sink.

5. Cut Down On Shower Time

If you plan on having guests staying overnight, spread showers out throughout the day so you can maintain hot water. Waiting at least 10 minutes between showers will also allow your pipes a chance to filter out hair and avoid clogs.

If you have a storage water heater tank, cutting down on your time in the shower will make sure that everyone in the house gets a hot shower. You could also turn up the heat of your water heater slightly to retain more hot water for your guests.

Try not to exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit or you’ll risk getting scalded (it’s normally set at 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit).

Final Thoughts

If you follow these simple tips, you can avoid having a Thanksgiving week from hell. No one wants to invite a plumber to their Thanksgiving feast. Use these preventative Thanksgiving plumbing tips and you won’t miss out on any of those Black Friday deals!.

If you do unfortunately run into any kind of drain or plumbing emergency, call a trusted emergency plumber who is on call 24/7/365.

Call 1-Tom-Plumber

Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need help over the Thanksgiving holiday with your plumbing or drains.

1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem. We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.

5 Thanksgiving Plumbing Tips (For A Stress-Free Holiday)

Thanksgiving Plumbing Tips for Kitchen & Bath