It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us, but here we are! Soon enough you’ll be making plans to have family over for Thanksgiving and whatever other holiday festivities you decide to have this year.
There’s one thing you should know–the holiday season is actually when we receive the most calls for plumbing services, usually dealing with clogged drains, jammed up garbage disposal systems, overwhelmed water heaters, and clogged bathroom plumbing.
For the purpose of this blog post, we’re going to talk about your kitchen plumbing in particular. Please be sure to read this before proceeding with cooking your next big meal!
What You Shouldn’t Put Down Your Kitchen Sink Drain
There are some items that homeowners often don’t give a second thought when putting down their kitchen sink drain, especially if they’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of cooking a holiday meal. Here are some examples!
FOG: This stands for fats, oils, and grease. What happens with FOG is as it cools down, it congeals and hardens, sticking to the inside of your kitchen sink drainpipe. As a result, clogs and blockages occur, and you’ll find yourself in a sticky situation. More and more food particles build up until you have a stubborn clog that can’t be easily removed. And before you reach for that bottle of drain cleaner you bought at the store, read the next section:
Chemical Drain Cleaners: That’s right, we discourage our customers from using store-bought chemical drain cleaning solutions. Why? Because the chemicals in them are caustic and can actually do more harm than good to the inside of your pipes. While this is a problem that builds up over the long term, it’s still important to mention as we understand this can seem like a “simple” solution when you have a million other little things to worry about over the holidays.
Hard Food Items: We’re talking meat bones, fruit pits… basically anything that you can’t chew. The problem is, people often think that their garbage disposals will break up anything that goes down the drain, but this just isn’t the case. In fact, hard food items like this can actually break the impeller blades of your garbage disposal system, then get lodged in the kitchen sink drain, causing a backup.
Eggshells and Potato Skins: We have a bit of a disclaimer here in that these items are okay in small amounts! Meaning if you’re cooking up an omelet for you and your spouse, your garbage disposal can handle the few eggshells you’re going to use. When it becomes a concern is when you’re cooking a huge meal or dish that requires a whole carton of eggs or a bag full of potatoes. Your garbage disposal just can’t handle all that excess and will get jammed up and potentially even stop working, creating a backed-up mess in your kitchen sink.
For professional plumbing in Johns Creek, GA, contact DC Cheek Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. Contact us today!
