20 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Local plumbers say there is always a rush after Thanksgiving with people experiencing clogged pipes.
“That, add an increase in food and waste and papers, and then things that shouldn’t be flushed is multiplied greatly on Thanksgiving, and then you take that over a whole city, it just, it gets pretty heavy for us plumbers,” Chris Brown, owner of Brown’s plumbing, said.
He says items like grease, potato peels, coffee grounds and eggshells should never go down your garbage disposal.
“Whenever Thanksgiving comes around, people are usually trying to focus so much on getting food and everything prepared that they’re focusing less on what they’re putting down their disposal and their drains,” Brown said.
The role of the garbage disposal is to catch extra food waste, not serve as a second trash can.
“The disposal is designed to catch your overflow of waste,” Brown said. “You’re supposed to dispose of that stuff. It’s just there for that.”
The biggest problem he and the City of Wichita see is people flushing wipes. Even if they say flushable, don’t flush them.
Brown says there are almost always signs of a backup. You will hear the air and water will drain slower. Once you have a clog, that can affect your sink, tubs, etc., so stop using them or use them as minimally as possible.
Brown says to maximize the life of your water heater, drain it each year. To maximize the life of your pipes, use copper sulfate yearly or bi-yearly.