The Spirit Of The Holidays
Deciding whether or not to visit your in-laws this year can be stressful, so you decided to cancel that visit, but now they’ve insisted they visit you alongside other extended family members, and now you have to throw a party. While planning significant events in your home, this holiday season can be hectic; we need to remind you that you should consider your plumbing when planning your big day.
While having a fantastic dinner is vital, if your plumbing is not ready for the large number of guests coming over to your home, you can be dealing with a mess that will leave you ripping your hair out.
Smelly Drains
Winter is lovely for getting all cozy indoors, but with all that cool air, you might suddenly realize your drains smell awful. If you notice a strong sulfur smell coming from your bathroom or kitchen, here’s what might be causing that odor.
Dry P-Trap
A P-trap is the curved, U-shaped portion of your kitchen or bathroom sink pipe. The p-trap holds water to help prevent sewer gas from venting into your home. With the cold winter air, sometimes your p-trap can dry out. A dry p-trap can lead to more sewer gas being vented into your home.
Sewer gas is not only smelly, but prolonged exposure can be harmful to your health. Thankfully to fix a dry p-trap, you can run water down the drain to help fill up your pipes. Start with around half a gallon of water, maybe the whole gallon, and you should be fine.
Venting Issues
If you tried pouring water down your drain to fix a dry p-trap but still notice the sewer gas smell, then you may have an underlying issue with your pipe’s venting system. Sometimes improperly installed pipes or a lack of routine maintenance can lead to your pipes being unable to vent gas properly. Unfortunately for you, this means that without professional plumbing help, your house can reek! Fortunately, you can give our pros a call at (937) 837-2333.
Clean Your Garbage Disposal
Using your garbage disposal without regular cleaning can be a ticking stinky time bomb because the build-up of food waste can stink up your kitchen. Before your guests come over, make sure to clean your garbage disposal by first turning off your disposal. You want the machine off; it’s the holiday season, not Halloween, so we don’t need any accidents. You can pour baking soda and vinegar down your garbage disposal to get rid of any smelly materials. Remove any debris you may notice on your splash guard, and most importantly, get your garbage disposal routinely maintained. If you have a severe clog or issue with your garbage disposal, you might need more than just baking soda.
Dealing With Frozen Pipes
The winter can freeze up your pipes, and when those pipes are frozen, you might be looking at a costly repair bill and angry guests looking to take a hot shower. Thankfully, frozen pipes are not an inevitability, as you can set up an appointment ahead of time to ensure your pipes are adequately insulated.
A small tip is to make sure to keep using your plumbing system as you usually would. Pipes can freeze due to lack of use, which causes less water to flow through your pipes and melt any frost. Be careful with your guests’ water usage, as running too many showers and dishwashers all at once can put a lot of strain on your pipes, especially frozen pipes. You want to call our team ahead of time because a frozen pipe can lead to a pipe burst if you are not too careful. A minor repair and insulation job is much cheaper than installing new pipes.
The holidays should be a time to relax; that’s why at Korrect Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. our team of professionals are ready to take the weight of plumbing maintenance off your shoulders. So give us a call at (937) 837-2333 and make sure your pipes are up for the holiday inflow of guests.
