The holidays are officially here. And while the Central Texas weather may not exactly be nipping at our noses, it’s still a festive time of year spent with family and friends, enjoying fellowship, seasonal joy, and lots of good food.
Perhaps you’re hosting a party at your home this year. Having extra people at your home for a night or an extended stay can put a real strain on your Austin plumbing system. It’s best to get started soon; you have a lot of work to do to get your house into holiday guest mode.
Starting in the bathroom
- Make sure your toilets are operating efficiently. This is a good time to change out any “iffy” parts and put a squelch on any weird noises coming from your porcelain thrones.
- Make sure you have a good toilet plunger.
- Remove all potential problems. Take away everything above the toilet. Gravity is a plumber’s best friend. The space saving shelving units above the toilet store wonderful objects that will fall into the toilet.
- The same goes for the counter top. Take it all away.
- Make sure there is plenty of toilet paper and soap/hand cleaner.
- Will you have guest with infants? Put a nice big waste basket in the room for wipes and diapers.
- Using a small plunger, plunge all the bathroom sinks.
- Check the toilet shut off valve. If it does get plugged, you will want to make sure and stop the overflow as quickly as possible. It’s a good idea to show all your family members how to shut these valves off and where they are located. They should even know where the main water (whole house) shut off is.
- Check to see that the seat is not loose.
The Water Heater
With more guests in your home, there is always more hot water used. Check your water heater for leaks or other potential problems. Also, remember that if there are some younger and some elderly guests, your water temperature should not be more than 120 degrees. Any hotter, and it may burn more sensitive guests.
Now that all of your plumbing preparations are complete, you can kick back, relax, and enjoy your Austin area holidays. Just remember that if you do experience plumbing problems, 1st Home and Commercial Services is here, 24/7 to help. 1st Home and Commercial Services dispatches licensed plumbers to Austin, Buda, Kyle, and San Marcos, Texas. Have a safe holiday break, from the 1st Home and Commercial Services family to yours.