5 Things That Might Be Clogging Your Plumbing System This Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time to get together with family and friends. While everyone loves celebrating the holidays, sometimes visiting family members might cause problems for your home and your plumbing system!

The holiday season is one of the most common times of the year for homeowners to require emergency plumbing services in their Philadelphia, PA home due to clogs in their plumbing system.

These clogs usually occur because everyone is so busy that they carelessly flush something that shouldn’t be. Make sure to remind home visitors never to put any of these five common clogging culprits down your plumbing system.

• Dental floss. Long and stringy pieces of dental floss can wrap around waste in your plumbing system, stopping it from fully disintegrating and forming a clog.

• Fats, oils and grease. When greasy substances get wet, they tend to spread out and congeal because they cannot mix with water. This can cause a difficult clog deep in your plumbing system.

• Egg shells, nuts, coffee grounds, etc. There are certain items that should never be shoved down your sink or garbage disposal. Dispose of hard items such as egg shells, nuts and more by throwing them in the trash.

• Diapers. Even if you have a set of diapers that claims to be flushable, chances are that they are simply too strong to be disintegrated in your plumbing system, and will likely cause a clog.

• Sanitary napkins and tampons. Women’s sanitary products are inorganic, and will not break down in water. This means that when they are flushed, they are likely to get caught in your drains and cause a clog. Instead of flushing these types of products, wrap them in toilet paper and throw them into the garbage. If you are concerned about the smell, a light spray of perfume or Febreze will do the trick.

Enjoy your holiday season, but do it in a way that’s safe for your plumbing and your home by providing plenty of empty garbage cans to your guests. And remember, if you need reliable plumbing repair or boiler installation in Philadelphia, PA, call Joseph’s Affordable Plumbing!