Planning A Christmas Party? How To Avoid These Two Plumbing Problems

Posted on: 29 October 2015




Food can be the main culprit from your party. For example, people may throw food down your garbage disposal, or they may put their plates with a lot of food still on them in your dishwasher. The best way to prevent these problems is to use paper plates and plastic utensils at your party.

If you end up with these clogs, below are the steps you can take to fix these problems.


If you open your dishwasher and see standing water in it, then you have a clog somewhere. If you end up with this problem after your party, refer to the owner's manual for your dishwasher to see where the pipes, hoses, traps, and filters are located. Remove each of these parts one by one, and clean each of them using a mild soap and hot water. You can use a small tooth brush or scrub brush to clean the traps and filters. Put the parts back where they belong when you finish cleaning, and then run your dishwasher on the hot cycle with no dishes in it.

Garbage Disposal

If your guests put their food down the disposal, and they do not run enough water before they turn the garbage disposal on, the food will not completely flush out of the drainpipe, but instead get stuck. They may also drop a fork or spoon into the disposal. Put the stopper in your sink so people cannot throw food or utensils down it. 

If your disposal ends up getting clogged, turn off the power switch that powers the garbage disposal. Shine a flashlight down the drain to see if you see anything clogging it up. If you do see something, use a pair of needle nosed pliers to reach down into the disposal to remove it. Turn on your water and let it run for a few minutes, and then turn the power switch back on to your garbage disposal to see if the clog is gone.

If you still have problems with your dishwasher or garbage disposal, call a plumber who specializes in sewer and drain cleaning to come to your house and remove the clogs for you.