Preventing Plumbing Problems Over the Holidays

When your families and friends come together for the holidays, plumbing is the last topic on your mind. 

Dripping faucets, slow-draining sinks, and stinky garbage disposals are annoying but likely at the bottom of your holiday to-do list.

At Gene’s Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical, we correct all plumbing issues, big and small. We handle leaks that have lingered for months and overflowing drains that clogged just minutes ago. 

We strongly urge you to call us at the first sign of a potential problem so we can fix it before it becomes a costly, messy disaster. Our qualified plumbing specialists work with water supply lines, drains, gas lines, fixtures, water heaters, sump pumps, and more.

Call Gene’s Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical today to eliminate any drips, leaks, and clogs before they interfere with holiday plans in your Strongsville home.

Be Prepared

Prevention is the key to avoiding plumbing emergencies. Ask us at Gene’s about hydro jetting to eliminate tree roots and other materials from your main sewer line. A thorough cleaning will reduce the risk of clogs and drain overflows.  

When was the last time you maintained your water heater? A tune-up this season will keep hot water flowing when you need it most. 

We can avoid a home decorating emergency by swapping old bathroom and kitchen fixtures for new, water-saving models. We offer solutions for every plumbing problem. 

You can help to keep your plumbing in good shape during the holidays and beyond. Here are a few tips: 

Toilet

• Keep a garbage bag-lined wastebasket in the bathroom, giving family and guests an appropriate place to dispose of paper and hygiene products.
• Keep a plunger in the bathroom or a utility closet nearby. 
• If your toilet runs until you jiggle the handle or physically open the tank and move the flapper into place, the solution is repair. Save yourself and your guests from a do-it-yourself hassle by asking us at Gene’s to replace worn parts. 

Garbage Disposal

• Avoid grinding fruit pits and nuts, stringy vegetables such as celery and onion skins, grease and oil, pasta and rice, bones and seafood shells, potato peels, and coffee grounds. Peel brand stickers off of fruits and veggies and toss them in the trash. 
• Instead of grinding old medication in your disposal or flushing it in the toilet, turn it into a drug take-back program in Strongsville. You can also safely mix the medicine with coffee grounds in a lidded container, placing it in a bag inside your trash.
• Always run cold water when your disposal is grinding.
• Avoid overloading your garbage disposal.

Although medication might not harm your garbage disposal grinder or toilet, it can taint the water supply. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prescription and over-the-counter drugs can seep into the ground from septic tanks and affect groundwater. They may pass through municipal water treatment plants and poison rivers and lakes.

Showers and Sinks

• Devices that fit into your shower drain and catch hair can reduce clogs.
• Place a drain strainer in your kitchen sink to catch food scraps.
• If the water in your bathroom sink seems to take forever to drain, you can try plunging to dislodge clogs or call us at Gene’s to diagnose and repair the problem. If all your sinks and shower drains are slow, your main sewer line may be clogged. 

Put Plumbing on Your To-Do List

Turn your plumbing problems in Strongsville, OH, over to our experts at Gene’s Refrigeration, Heating & Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical. Call us at 330-238-8441 or request service online.