The holiday season is a time of fun, rest, and bonding. In most cases, people spend time at home with their loved ones, meaning there will be more people in the home. While all this is happening, the West Virginia temperatures decrease due to winter. As a result, your house may become busier and colder than the rest of the year.
Many people find this exciting and forget to monitor their plumbing. Several issues may arise due to all the above factors, unfortunately, and you need pros to help you keep the home running efficiently. Our plumbers usually get numerous calls to fix issues like clogs, pipe bursts, hot water issues, and other plumbing problems. Working with the experts can save you the inconvenience since you will know what to expect and how to solve it. Below, we have outlined some issues we help our clients solve during the holidays.
Frozen Pipes
Winter comes with its plumbing challenges, with the main one being frozen pipes. Pipes that are on the ground or exposed encounter very low temperatures, and sometimes, the water in them freezes. When this happens, you’ll experience decreased water pressure or a complete lack of water, especially if there is total obstruction inside the line.
If this water stays frozen, it exerts more pressure on the pipes and may result in cracks or bursts. This consequently leads to water wastage and low water pressure. Some homeowners try to fix this issue by increasing the water pressure, which further increases the chances of a pipe burst.
At Childers Air Plumbing & Electric, we help our clients solve this by installing pipe covers that warm the line and keep the water flowing. When the pipes have higher temperatures, the water will not freeze, thus enabling you to enjoy a constant water supply. We also suggest that you don’t increase the water pressure since you may cause the pipe to burst, costing you more in repairs and water bills.
Drain and Toilet Clogs
Since you may have more people in your home, you can expect your toilets to get more traffic than at other times of the year. People of all ages are using the facilities, which means more flushing. This only means higher bills to some but may also pose a higher risk of toilet and drain blockage.
If you have children, some may drop toys and other items in the toilet if left unsupervised. Also, adults may dispose of large chunks of tissue and non-flushable sanitary items. This significantly strains the drainage line and may lead to a blockage. It is crucial to have a plunger nearby to help clear the passage. Nevertheless, professional unclogging by our plumbers is the way to go if you want a permanent solution.
While the toilet is the leading cause of drainage issues, you may also encounter a drain clog due to solids accumulating in sinks, showers, and bathtubs and their drains. Hair, soap, food particles, and other solids can combine in the drains to form a clog that slows wastewater drainage. In severe cases, it may cause a total obstruction, which results in sewage backflow.
Some of the indications that you have a drain clog include the following:
- Smelly drains
- Gurgling noises when draining
- Slow drainage
- Sewage backflow
Our plumbers disapprove of pouring chemicals down the drain to unclog the pipes. This DIY tactic does more harm than good. It risks harming your health, especially if the product spills on you or someone inhales it. It also corrodes the lines over time, which significantly shortens their lifespan. Professional drain cleaning is the only safe way to address this problem. Our affordable services are thorough and will keep your drain and sewer lines clean, allowing efficient wastewater drainage.
Hot Water Shortage
Hot water usage increases significantly during wintertime because the West Virginia holiday season is cold. Residents of Beckley and other surrounding areas may run out of hot water, especially when the house is full of people. This isn’t fun for anyone involved, but it’s possible to reduce the likelihood of the issue if not prevent it altogether with some professional help.
One of the causes of reduced hot water is a problem with your heater. We perform exceptional maintenance and repairs to ensure the unit runs efficiently throughout the season. However, if your unit is old, you may need to replace it to avoid breakdowns during the winter. Modern heaters are more efficient and consume less energy than most older ones.
Another reason you may suddenly have cold water could be several people using hot water appliances simultaneously. If you wash dishes with warm water while two or more people are showering, for example, you may run out of hot water. This is common, especially with people who take long showers. You can rectify this problem by spacing out the showers to be at least 10 minutes apart to give time for the water to heat for the next user. Advising the residents to avoid long showers may also help keep things in check.
It would also help to adjust the thermostat setting a few degrees lower. This reduces the temperature that the heater has to attain, reducing the pressure on the unit. You can also invest in a tankless water heater, which warms up water on demand. Units like those can still struggle if you need more hot water than they can handle, so it’s important to talk to a pro to determine the best option for your home.
Broken Garbage Disposal
Your garbage disposal is another appliance that works more during the holidays. People are cooking more meals, and the number of dishes naturally increases. Therefore, more food gets poured down the drain, and the garbage disposal has to work more. In some instances, some may throw large amounts of food in the sink, which may lead to a breakdown of the unit.
Our plumbers recommend removing excess food from the plates before putting them in the dishwasher or sink. This way, your unit will function optimally and properly disintegrate the tiny particles. You should also avoid throwing foods with many fibers in the sink since the strands may get entangled in the blades and cause a clog or blockage.
Our Services
One fact that remains constant during the holidays is increased water usage around the house. With more people showering, washing their hands, flushing, and washing utensils, you use more water than usual. Nevertheless, you can communicate with your family and friends to ensure no taps are left running. This way, you will only pay for what you use. Reducing traffic around the kitchen sink is also prudent to avoid mismanagement of the garbage disposal.
All the above solutions require a team effort to actualize. Therefore, everyone in the house must be aware of the prevention measures and watch for signs of plumbing problems. When you all work together, you can enjoy efficiency throughout the holidays. It is also important to have professional plumbers you can turn to so you can call for assistance whenever necessary. We respond to plumbing emergencies promptly to ensure all our clients have a good time during the holidays.
Contact Childers Air Plumbing & Electric today and enjoy quality plumbing services in Beckley and the surrounding areas. We also offer heating, cooling, and electrical services.
