Waukesha County Home

HOME NOVEMBER 2018 6 It's a holiday nightmare no one ever wants to experience. A house full of Thanksgiving guests and the kitchen sink pipes are clogged. Nothing is going down and anxiety is ramping up. Three local plumbing companies that are part of the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) say this situation, unfortu- nately, happens like clockwork every year. "Thanksgiving week, beginning on Wednesday and continuing through Friday, we get calls for clogged pipes," said Bob Siepler, a journeyman plumber and service manager for Oak Creek Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath. "Believe me, cleaning out pipes is a messy job and something most people would rather avoid when they're hosting a meal." The good news is there are things home- owners can do to avert an expensive and embarrassing plumbing emergency. Keep garbage disposal in mind First, know what shouldn't go down the garbage disposal. Potato peels, celery stalks and turkey grease are some of the most troublesome Thanksgiving foods. "Potato peels just cement together. When you add grease to the mix, it all coagulates and becomes a large blockage that just isn't going to move through your pipes," says Siepler. Other things like egg shells, carrot peels, artichoke leaves and broccoli or cauli- flower stems also cause issues. "My advice, especially for those who have older homes with older pipes, is to only put small scraps from their plate down the dis- posal," says Jessie Cannizzaro, a master plumber and owner of Milestone Plumbing in Wauwatosa. "Composting is another way to handle food waste and avoid plumbing problems." Cannizzaro also suggests that homeown- ers mind the sink so they can manage what goes down the drain and prevent well- intended helpers from creating a clog. Next, don't batch feed the disposal. "So many people just stuff everything into the disposal all at once and then turn on the water and disposal," said Mike Hart- laub, a master plumber and owner of Hart- laub Services in New Berlin. "When you do that, it's a recipe for disaster." The proper method is to begin by running cold water and then slowly feed small amounts of food into the disposal. In some cases, you'll need to cut up large items. Keep the water running for a minute after the disposal has finished grinding and is quiet. "You want to maintain a strong flow of water so it pushes everything you've just ground up through the pipes," Hartlaub said. Toilets, too Finally, if you do experience a clogged pipe or slow drain, don't use chemical drain cleaners. Since those products con- tain acid, the liquid can eat away at galva- nized steel and copper pipes, causing pin- prick holes. Also, once the plumber arrives, he or she will now have to work in an acidic mix that can burn their skin. To help eliminate waste build-up in plumbing and septic systems, all three plumbers recommend using a product like Bio-Clean on a weekly basis. Bio-Clean has natural bacteria and enzymes that eat through organic matter that gets stuck in pipes. Unfortunately, it's not just sinks that can cause plumbing issues over the holidays. Toilets can act up, too. "It's a sensitive subject but guests often bring their own wipes and flush them down the toilet," Cannizzaro said. "Even though the packaging says the product is flushable, they're not biodegradable. They don't break down and instead can cause major blockages." In fact, plumbers say nothing should be flushed except for toilet paper, waste and water. That means baby, facial and hygiene wipes, Q-tips, dental floss and hair are all verboten. The other word of advice is to be on the lookout for potential problems and take action in advance. If a sink is draining slowly or a toilet is rocking on its base, it's only going to get worse over time. Instead of having a crisis situation with guests in the house, call a licensed, professional plumber sooner rather than later. Keep in mind, a service call during the holidays can run several hundred dollars so an ounce of prevention can save a signif- icant amount of inconvenience and money. Submitted photo The congealed mess that can happen when stuffing leftover stuffing and all the rest down the garbage disposal is not only inconvenient, it's more costly when it happens during a holiday. Plumbers say Thanksgiving triggers flood of emergency calls Submitted photo There's no good time for the kitchen sink to become clogged, but it's worse when it happens over Thanksgiving with a house full of people.

• Cover