Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many homeowners in Fort Worth, Texas, are looking forward to spending time with their families while enjoying a homemade meal. Whether you are hosting or attending Thanksgiving dinner this year, maintaining a keen awareness of some of the following common Thanksgiving plumbing issues can help you ensure your holiday dinner goes as smoothly as possible.
Broken Garbage Disposal
Your garbage disposal will be working overtime during Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season, which makes it especially vulnerable to experiencing a host of problems if you aren’t careful. These issues tend to occur when too many food scraps or waste products end up in the disposal, especially items that aren’t easily naturally broken down.
Unfortunately, many ingredients that are a part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal can wreak havoc on a garbage disposal, such as potato skins, corn husks, celery, and bread. Even if you aren’t the chef behind the stove this Thanksgiving, you’ll be a five-star guest when you save the hosts from a plumbing nightmare. Review the following list of items to avoid throwing down the garbage disposal to help you point everyone in the right direction:
- Grease, fats, and oils
- Corn husks
- Coffee grounds
- Celery
- Pasta
- Rice
- Bread
- Peach and cherry pits
- Banana peels
- Bones
- Egg shells
- Potato skins
Be sure not to put too much waste or food scraps down the disposal at once. If you have a large amount of debris to discard, break it up into smaller portions and discard them individually rather than collectively, or opt to throw them out manually instead of using the garbage disposal.
Overused Appliances
When the entire family gets together for Thanksgiving, the number of people using the sinks, bathrooms, and other plumbing appliances in a home may double, which will inevitably make accidents more likely to occur.
There is nothing you can do about more traffic, but you can help ensure that everyone understands what can and can’t be flushed down the toilets and discarded in the garbage disposal. Making a point to briefly speak to guests, especially any children in attendance, will help deter the chances of a major plumbing emergency interrupting your Thanksgiving meal.