Thanksgiving is about four weeks away, and if you’re hosting, your kitchen and bathrooms are about to work harder than they do any other day of the year. More cooking, more dishes, more guests, more showers and more flushing all hit your plumbing at once. That’s why the days around Thanksgiving are some of the busiest of the year for kitchen sink backups, disposal clogs and overflowing toilets.
A backup during the holidays isn’t just inconvenient. Water that spills under cabinets or across a bathroom floor can soak into subflooring and drywall within hours. Here’s how to keep your plumbing out of the holiday story, and what to do if something goes wrong with a house full of guests.
Kitchen Drain and Garbage Disposal Dos and Don’ts
The kitchen sink takes the biggest hit on Thanksgiving. Most holiday clogs come down to what goes down the drain.
- Don’t pour grease, fat or pan drippings down the drain. It looks like liquid when it’s hot, but it hardens in your pipes. Let it cool in a can or jar and throw it in the trash.
- Keep potato peels, celery, onion skins and turkey skin out of the disposal. Starchy and stringy scraps turn into a paste that packs the drain.
- Skip coffee grounds, eggshells, bones and rice or pasta. These are classic clog-makers.
- Run cold water before, during and for 15 or 20 seconds after using the disposal.
- Scrape plates into the trash before rinsing, and ask helpers to do the same.
- Space out the dishwasher and disposal. Running both at once with a heavy load can back water up into the sink.
Kitchens have more water lines than any other room. Our post on common causes of kitchen water damage covers the rest.
Check the Dishwasher and Fridge Lines Before Guests Arrive
Two appliances that run nonstop over the holidays are also two of the most common sources of hidden leaks.
- Dishwasher: Look under the sink at the supply and drain connections, and check the floor in front of the dishwasher for soft spots or lifting. Clean the filter before the big day. If you’ve noticed water pooling before, read our guide to dishwasher leak water damage.
- Refrigerator: If your fridge has an ice maker or water dispenser, pull it out and check the supply line for kinks, cracks or drips. Plastic lines can fail without warning. Here’s what to watch for with a refrigerator or ice maker leak.
Guest Bathroom Overload
Extra guests mean a lot more flushing and back-to-back showers.
- Put a small trash can in every bathroom and a gentle note if you need to. Wipes (even “flushable” ones), paper towels and hygiene products are the top causes of toilet clogs.
- Keep a plunger in every bathroom so guests don’t have to ask.
- Show guests where the toilet shutoff valve is, the small valve on the wall behind the toilet. Turning it clockwise stops an overflow in seconds.
- Space out showers by 10 or 15 minutes so drains and the water heater can keep up.
If a toilet does overflow, our guide to toilet overflow and bathroom flooding explains why the water under the floor matters more than the water you can see.
Don’t Forget the Water Heater
Extra showers and a nonstop dishwasher push your water heater hard, and cold Colorado inlet water makes it work even harder in November. If your tank is more than 10 years old, is making popping sounds or has rust around the base, have it looked at before the holiday. Our post on water heater leaks covers the warning signs.
If Something Backs Up With Guests in the House
Stay calm. Most holiday plumbing problems can be contained if you move quickly.
- Stop the water. Turn off the fixture’s shutoff valve, or the main water shutoff if you can’t find the source.
- Stop using the drain. If the kitchen sink is backing up, don’t run the dishwasher or disposal. If more than one drain is backing up at once, it could be the main sewer line, so stop using all the water in the house. Read about sewer backup causes and cleanup.
- Keep people away. Water from a toilet or a sewer backup can carry bacteria. Keep kids and pets out of the area.
- Take photos before you start cleaning up.
- Call a plumber for the clog, and call Revive for the water damage. Clearing the line fixes the cause. Drying out the cabinets, floors and walls is what keeps mold from showing up a few weeks later. See our guide to how fast mold grows after water damage.
Call Revive Before You Call Insurance
If a holiday backup soaks your kitchen or bathroom floor, call us before you call insurance. We’ll do a free inspection, check for moisture you can’t see with moisture meters, and help you understand the damage before you decide on a claim. Our post on whether homeowners insurance covers water damage in Colorado is a good place to start.
We answer the phone on holidays too. If water gets loose this Thanksgiving, call Revive Restoration at (720) 340-3499 or visit our 24/7 emergency page. Enjoy the meal, and leave the water to us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are plumbing problems so common on Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving puts more strain on home plumbing than almost any other day: more cooking grease and food scraps go down the kitchen drain, the dishwasher runs constantly, and extra guests mean more flushing and showers. The day after Thanksgiving is known as one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers.
What should never go down a garbage disposal?
Avoid grease and fat, potato peels, celery, onion skins, turkey skin, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones, rice and pasta. These either harden in the pipes or swell into a paste that clogs the drain.
What should I do if my kitchen sink backs up during the holidays?
Stop running water, the dishwasher and the disposal. If several drains back up at once, stop using all water in the house because it may be the main sewer line. Take photos, call a plumber for the clog, and call Revive Restoration at (720) 340-3499 if water got under cabinets or across the floor.
Can a small kitchen leak cause serious water damage?
Yes. Water that spills under cabinets or behind a dishwasher can soak into subflooring and drywall within hours, and mold can start growing in 24 to 48 hours if the area isn’t dried properly.
Does Revive Restoration respond on holidays?
Yes. Revive Restoration answers 24/7, including Thanksgiving. Call (720) 340-3499 before you call insurance for a free inspection anywhere in Northern Colorado.
Serving all of Northern Colorado: Revive Restoration responds across Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Johnstown, Greeley, Longmont, Timnath, Berthoud, Wellington, Severance, Erie, and every community on our service areas map. Learn more about our water damage restoration and mold remediation services, see how our restoration process works, or request a free inspection.