Be Cautious With Your Cooking Habits This Fall

September means the start of fall, which brings cooler days, changing leaves and lots of pumpkins. Fall also means that the holiday season is rapidly approaching.

For many, the holidays mean more time in the kitchen and extra strain on kitchen plumbing. This can result in clogged pipes, broken garbage disposals, and stressful plumbing emergencies.

To help you avoid any such problems, today we’ll talk about some things you can do to protect your kitchen plumbing even during the busiest seasons.

Are You Using Grease Traps?

It seems that when you’re cooking a big meal it’s hard to avoid getting a little bit of grease, fat or oil in your sink. As much as you might work to avoid this, when you start moving around lots of pots and pans, it can be hard to prevent.

Rather than panicking about this, make sure that you’re using grease traps. These traps go in your drain or waste pipe and keep grease from passing into your sewer system.

This means that you can prevent blockages and wastewater backups even if a little bit of grease goes down the drain. It’s an easy way to protect your kitchen plumbing and to have a little extra peace of mind this holiday season.

The Secret is a Weekly Hot Water Pipe Cleaning

Another easy way to protect your kitchen plumbing is through weekly cleanings with boiling water. While these might not clear out full blockages, they will help to keep your pipes clean and to clear away small blockages.

Once a week, boil a teapot full of water. Once the drain is clear, pour the boiling water down your drain to clean it out and to get rid of small buildups or blockages.

This is an incredibly simple way to help protect your pipes and to keep them flowing smoothly throughout the holidays.

Garbage Disposal Tips and Reminders

Lots of cooking and entertaining can be hard on your garbage disposal. To keep it from burning out or creating plumbing problems, be thoughtful about how you use it.

Remember first, that it’s not a trash can, but rather is for small amounts of food scraps. Next, always make sure you run cold water when the disposal is grinding.

Finally, pay attention to what you put down the garbage disposal. Never put grease or fats, coffee grounds, starchy foods or fibrous foods in the disposal. These can cause the disposal to stop running and can lead to clogs in your pipes.

You don’t want your garbage disposal to breakdown while you're in the midst of preparing a big meal, so prevent that by always using it properly and by being careful about what you put down it. The holidays can be hard on kitchen plumbing, yet you need all of your kitchen plumbing and appliances working.

Having this ensures that your biggest meals and parties go smoothly. We hope these tips help you to take extra care of your plumbing systems during the upcoming holiday season and that they help you avoid any plumbing emergencies!