Holiday Drain Tips

Don’t hold up your holiday party with drain dilemmas. Check out these holiday drain tips!

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are upon us. In the next couple of months we’ll gather with friends and family to laugh, play, and eat. Households are usually busier from now until the end of the year, and if there are more people in the house there’s more stuff going down your drains.

Albuquerque Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling would like to provide you a refresher on what should NOT go down your drain. Whether it’s in the shower or in the kitchen sink here are some things to watch out for:

1. Glass/Plastic/Metals ~ This may be a no brainer in the bathroom, but there are those that think the kitchen disposal could handle some of these materials. It can not.
2. Large Bones ~ Very small fish and chicken bones are permissible (they can help scour the unit and your pipes) but anything larger should be put in the trash can
3. “Expanders” ~ This includes coffee grounds, pasta, and rice. They’re disastrous for both drains and disposals because they swell up in the pipes, causing blockage and build-up.
4. Stringy/Fibrous Foods ~ Corn husks, onion skins, artichokes, rhubarb, asparagus, chard or kale are some examples. The fibers can wrap themselves around the blade of the disposal and jam the operation. They can also cling to an already building clog in other drains.
5. Potato Peels (and other starchy food items) ~ The starch forms a paste that sticks to everything (and everything sticks to it!)
6. Grease (in all forms) ~ The grease from your turkey/ham, cooking oil, salad dressings, mayonnaise, the fat from meat trimmings, poultry skin, cheese, ice cream and shortening can all damage your plumbing; especially when they form “fatbergs” (grease mixed with other materials that cause a clog/mass).
7. Seafood Shells (shrimp, etc) ~ These can wrap around disposal blades, just like corn husks, or cling to an existing, growing clog.
8. Eggshells ~ Some would say that the ground-up shells help clean the drain, while others maintain that the thin membrane inside the shell can wrap around disposal blades. When it comes to drains, better to be safe than sorry and not put them down.
9. Hair ~ Obviously some hair will escape down the drain opening but don’t allow large (or small!) clumps to go in.
10. Harsh Chemicals ~ Many people think they are good for drains/disposals, but in fact they eat away at the blades of the disposal and your pipes.

As always we are here for any of your plumbing questions and concerns. Never hesitate to consult one of the plumbing experts at Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling.