TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) – When family is visiting, your pipes may be working overtime over the holidays. The last thing you want is a plumbing emergency in a crowded home.
Dallas Wellard, a supervisor at On the Ball Plumbing, said her team worked more hours this holiday season to handle various plumbing emergencies.
“Clogged sewer lines, failed water heaters, leaky water heaters – last week showed there were a lot of water heaters,” Wellard said.
Wellard added that, especially this time of year, it's important to catch water heater leaks before they get worse.
“Get a water alarm sheet from Home Depot or Lowes, you know, they're four or eight dollars, and put it next to your water heater and they make a loud noise when they sense water,” Wellard said.
This can help prevent the problem from getting worse. Wellard recommends that you definitely use water softeners as they can prevent the buildup of minerals in heaters that can cause them to break down. As homes see more foot traffic from relatives, they are receiving calls about overloaded pipes, added plumbing technician Lee Stanger.
“We have a few people call us and say, hey, this bathroom hasn't been working for a while, but I wasn't too worried about it because I wasn't using it, but now I have guests coming and I Would love to get it working,” Stanger said.
Aside from the usual wear and tear on the pipes, Stanger also keeps an eye on children, as they tend to flush unflushable items down the toilet.
“I've seen a few calls where there's a toothbrush stuck in the toilet or a little Hot Wheels car, you know, little things like that,” Stanger said.
Additionally, Wellard urges people not to flush sanitary products down the toilet as this can cause major blockages.
When preparing meals, you should avoid pouring certain foods down the drain.
“Avoid pouring grease down drains, avoid pouring eggshells down drains, and avoid pouring potato peels down drains. I mean this stuff should go in the trash or the dump,” Wellard said.
It's also important not to throw bones and coffee grounds down the drain, even if you have a garbage disposal.
Wellard adds that during the holidays there will be plumbers available to help with any problem, although the cost of the work varies depending on hours. To avoid this in the future, it is a good idea to hire a professional to inspect your home's plumbing.
“Every year, have a plumber come and walk through the house and just visually go through the plumbing system and see if there are any leaks that they see, any red flags that we're experiencing, things that we're going to catch, the homeowner really “Don’t have it,” Wellard said.
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