How to Avoid Plumbing Horrors this Halloween

With all the spooky happenings around Halloween, you expect to have a little friendly terror in your life. What you don’t want are plumbing horrors that ambush you during an already busy time of year. Yet the potential for difficulties with your plumbing is already haunting your home, waiting to spread some Halloween frights.

These Halloween plumbing tips can help you avoid some common plumbing mishaps that can happen this time of year. A little common sense will go a long way towards keeping you and your plumbing happy during this creepiest of holidays!

Decorative Gourd Season Plumbing Safety

The jack-o’-lantern is a beloved centerpiece for the Halloween holiday. Nothing says autumn like the fun of scooping squishy, stringy guts out of a bright orange gourd. The happy memories created by this hysterically gooey tradition will last a lifetime.

Your sink and garbage disposal do not enjoy this tradition quite as much as people do. All too many people decide the garbage disposal or the sink are the places to dispose of their unwanted pumpkin guts. This can clog the plumbing and cause malfunctions in the disposal itself.

Clean your pumpkins on a layer of trash bags or newspaper to limit the mess. Then all you need to do is throw both your protective lining and the pumpkin seeds in the garbage can.

It Came From the Garbage Disposal

Holiday parties often mean good food you don’t typically indulge in during the rest of the year. They also mean larger meals being prepped than normal, uncommon meal scraps and unfamiliar guests. All of these can spell disaster for your plumbing.

Remember to be careful of what you throw into your garbage disposal and sink drains. Fats and oils should never go down the drain or garbage disposal; if grease is poured into drains, it can congeal in the pipes and cause major clogs. Additionally, be mindful of what guests throw into the disposal to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Keep in mind, when using your garbage disposal that it is best to first turn on the disposal and then add the food debris. Once the garbage disposal is finished, shut it off and run plenty of water down the drain so that the next time you use it, the system is cleared.

Bathroom Blues

We all know toilet bowls have an irresistible allure to small children who enjoy throwing things into the water. Around Halloween, unfortunately, there are plenty of fascinating objects to toss into the toilet. If you have kids, any young Halloween party guests may spell trouble in the bathroom.

Make sure no one attempts to flush any foreign objects. Avoid uneaten candy, candy wrappers, pumpkin parts, and even unutilized costume makeup. A conspicuous trashcan may help encourage guests to put these where they belong!

Horror movies show us that showers are a common place for a fright. Avoid that by keeping your water heater at or below 125 degrees Fahrenheit. This way you will prevent scalding and reduce energy waste.

If these Halloween plumbing tips can’t keep away problems with your pipes, give Fenwick Home Services a call! Our experts can help banish the specters of this year’s Halloween celebrations.