The holiday season is upon us and it’s important that your plumbing is up to scratch to handle the influx of family members or to avoid problems while you’re away. Here’s some tips to get your home ready for the holiday season.
All the Family for Christmas Day?
December is a good time to get your home in great shape for your Christmas guests. Why not consider a little kitchen or bathroom makeover. A new, “on trend” tap, beautiful hand soap and/ or fresh towels can make an amazing difference in freshening up a room. Bunnings and Reece have a large selection of taps and a professional licensed plumber can change them over easily to give you an affordable and attractive solution.
Careful What Goes Down the Kitchen Sink
Cooking up a storm on Christmas day – it is easy to forget – not everything should go down the kitchen sink. Before washing off plates, make sure to scrape all leftover food, and fats into the bin.
In the event your kitchen sink is draining a bit slow or making gurgling sounds – chances are your drain is backing up. Before picking up the phone to call the plumber, try pouring very hot water down the sink, mixed with some dishwashing liquid. This will often dissolve the blockage and wash it away. Do not use products like Draino – they can crystallise in your drain making the problem worse and are very toxic to use.
Plumbing in the Bathroom
Another place to remember that unwanted objects, such as sanitary items or cleaning wipes, do not belong flushed down the toilet and are a major cause of blockages. Supply a bin in bathrooms for guests to dispose of items properly and keep the toilet drains clear.
To avoid running out of hot water, when you’re hosting people, space out the times between showers to allow time for your hot water heater to heat up again and give more time for the drains to clear. Hair and soap scum can quickly block drains, so if you see a blockage forming, make sure to call a plumber to fix it asap.
Things to check before leaving home for an extended time
Clean Your Gutters & Drains
If you haven’t already cleared your gutters, do it right now. Blocked gutters and drains in Melbourne pose two big risks: first, they prevent water from flowing down pipes, leading to overflows and flooding. Bushfire fuel comes from the second gutters’ abundance of twigs, leaves, and other detritus. Before you go, get rid of them so you can relax.
Turn Your Taps Off
One of the most common causes of water damage comes from burst flexi hoses. See our blog on them here. Complete a quick audit of the flexi hose connections in your house to make sure none of them are leaking, rusted or damaged.
Another common problem is burst washing machine hoses. Before leaving home turn the washing machine taps off at the wall.
Check for Leaking Toilets
Did you know that a leaking toilet could be wasting up to 60,000 litres of water a year! If you hear water running or can see water leaking into the pan it is time to get it fixed. This leak is typically a sign that the outlet valve in your toilet is perished and requires replacement. So instead of flushing money down the drain on high water bills while you are on holidays – call Butler Plumbing. If you can not get it repaired before you go away – turn the little tap off that is located next to the toilet cistern.
Check Your Hot Water System
Depending on the type of hot water system you have, you may need to get the best hot water servicing in Melbourne. It can be worthwhile to turn it off if you’re going out for a while. Storage hot water services constantly heat water in a water tank. Although there is no danger in continuing this while you are on leave, you can save money on utility costs by not continuing to heat water that is not being utilised. Just remember to switch it back on when you come home.
And before you go it’s always a good idea to schedule maintenance with a plumber to come check your plumbing. A routine check means you can concentrate on enjoying the holidays without worrying about plumbing issues that could be avoided.
Ready to prep your home for the season? Get in touch with us. Book online or give us a call on 03 9416 1726.