As the holiday season approaches, the plumbing in your home could use some attention to make sure your days don’t end with unpleasant catastrophes. Visits by guests mean more work for your household plumbing. Below are some useful holiday plumbing preparation tips. Professional help is not needed for many of the issues listed here:

Bathrooms

•  Check out those rarely used bathrooms. Does water flow quickly down the drains? Do the faucets leak? Flush the toilet: Do you hear water running inside the tank? Do you see rusty spots or puddles at the base of or under the tank?
•  Make sure that your bath and shower drains have mesh traps to catch hair and other debris that shouldn’t go down the pipes.
•  Make sure each bathroom has a plunger standing by for occasional issues.

Storage Areas

•  Washers and dryers are heavily used during the holidays. Make sure your washing machine hoses are not dried out and cracking and check your dryer’s exhaust vent. Accumulated lint is a fire hazard. If you haven’t replaced that flexible tubing for a while, now might be the time.
•  Be sure your water heater is up to the challenge. If lukewarm showers have become the norm or you see rusty water, you’ve got a problem and may need a new water heater. Consider installing a tankless water heater if you’d prefer your guests have an unlimited supply of hot water during their stay.
•  Set your water heater to around 120°F. This will keep hot water at a safe temperature for holiday guests.

Outdoors

•  If you have multiple slow-running drains or backups, now is the time to call your plumber for a drain inspection.
•  Un-insulated water pipes leading to outdoor faucets can burst during cold weather. Close off the water source, and let those faucets drain completely. Insulating the pipes is a good idea, too.

If you go out-of-town:

•  Shut off the water supply to avoid any water damage.
•  Turn off the hot water system to keep gas bills down while you’re away.

If disaster does strike during your celebrations, or any time of the year, contact the Pros at Plumb Pro and they will be there to help you.