Holiday Kitchen Plumbing: Keep Your Drains Running Through Thanksgiving

The holidays are one of the busiest times of year for clogged kitchen drains. A big meal means grease, peels and scraps all going toward the sink at once, plus a full house running the dishwasher, showers and toilets more than usual. A few habits keep you from spending the evening with a plunger instead of your guests.

Grease Is the Biggest Problem

Turkey drippings, bacon fat, butter and gravy all feel harmless going down the drain as liquids. As they cool in the pipes, they harden and coat the inside, catching everything that comes after. A holiday's worth of grease can turn a slow drain into a full blockage.

• Let grease cool, then pour it into an old can or jar and put it in the trash.
• Wipe greasy pans with a paper towel before washing them.
• Don't count on hot water or dish soap to wash grease away. It just hardens further down the line.

Go Easy on the Garbage Disposal

A disposal can handle soft scraps, but holiday cooking produces exactly the things that jam it or clog the drain below it:

• Potato peels, which turn into a thick paste
• Celery, onion skins and other stringy vegetables, which wrap around the parts
• Rice, pasta and stuffing, which swell with water
• Bones and fruit pits
• Coffee grounds from all that after-dinner coffee

Scrape plates into the trash or compost first. When you do use the disposal, run cold water before, during and for 30 seconds after, and feed scraps in a little at a time. Our full list of what not to put in a garbage disposal has more.

If it hums but won't turn mid-dinner, don't keep flipping the switch. See 5 fixes to try before you call.

Space Out the Water Use

Running the dishwasher, the washing machine and several showers at the same time sends a lot of water into the drain line at once. In an older home with a partly blocked main line, that's when backups happen. Run the dishwasher after guests leave, and spread out laundry and showers when the house is full.

Prepare the Guest Bathroom

• Put a small trash can with a lid next to the toilet so wipes, paper towels and other items don't get flushed.
• Leave a plunger where guests can find it without asking.
• If the guest bath hasn't been used in a while, run the shower and sink to refill the drain traps. Dry traps let in sewer odors. See sewer smell causes.
• Fix that running toilet before company comes. It's usually a simple repair. See toilet keeps running.

Check Your Water Heater

Extra guests means extra showers. If your water heater has been running out of hot water lately, or making popping noises, it may be struggling. A flush before the holidays can help. See why your water heater is popping.

If the Kitchen Sink Backs Up

• Stop running water and the dishwasher. More water just adds to the backup.
• Skip chemical drain cleaners. They rarely clear grease clogs and are hard on pipes.
• On a double sink, plug one side with a wet rag and plunge the other.
• If water backs up into other fixtures too, the main line is likely blocked. That needs a plumber.

Clogged Drain Over the Holidays?

Believe Plumbing clears kitchen drains and repairs garbage disposals across Tampa Bay. See our drain cleaning and garbage disposal services, or contact us.