Need a Plumber after Thanksgiving Day Fesitivities?
Ah, Thanksgiving. A day of food, family, and thanks. Eating so much you have to be rolled out of the dining room in a wheelbarrow. We knew we had those kids for a reason! A day to plop down in front of the TV and relax, drifting off into a post-turkey coma. A day for a panicked call to the plumber? Wait, what happened to our comfy, serene day?
The turkey did it! It jumped into the sink and clogged it with its bones as revenge for all its fallen brethren! Don’t you wish it was that easy to explain away? Every year, the plumbing industry braces itself for the Thanksgiving rush because of slightly less fictitious versions of the above.
There are some things you can do to avoid being part of the lucky clogged-pipe lottery winners club. Don’t fill the garbage disposal full before turning it on. Avoid pouring fats and oils down the drain. You know that triple-bypass dad had? If you put enough grease and oil down your pipes, your plumber is fixing nearly the same problem. Fibrous materials are also a risk. Celery and poultry skins can help bind things up nicely. Lets not forget our devious Thanksgiving menace, Mr. Turkey himself. He lulled you into that sleepy tryptophan-induced state so you’d try something like flushing bones down the toilet as some without garbage disposals have. Sometimes it’s the kids. While you’re off having a nap, they’re playing “I wonder what happens if we flush a turkey leg bone down the toilet.” Followed shortly by “Oh no, they’re going to kill us if they find out we plugged it up. Flush (insert favorite action figure here) down the toilet, he can fix anything!” Now he’s Captain Drain Clog! Organizing a few game options may help stave off a little of the risk here.
Beware the helpers. “Oh, we’ve been pouring our grease, potato skins, celery, etc. down the drain for years without a problem.” Clogs build up over time, and Thanksgiving can tax any plumbing system to its limit. Many times systems are borderline functional before a house full of guests and a bunch of dishes. If things are already running slow and you plan to have a large number of guests, consider having the system checked before they arrive. You might just stave off Mr. Turkey’s element of surprise for another few years.
