冬季随着节假日的到来，除了带给你家庭和朋友团聚的快乐，同时还有可能出现的排水管道的紧急情况。感恩节和圣诞节时，一个典型的10人或以上的家庭聚会是很平常的事情。这些额外的客人会过度增加家庭排水系统的负荷，这常常会导致需要紧急的管道维护服务。
一顿丰盛的节日大餐需要长时间使用厨房，大量的油脂和剩余食物残渣进入了厨房的排水管。节日的家庭客人增加了额外的浴室沐浴和厕所冲水，所有这些都加大了管道系统出现故障的可能性。
管道阻塞是因为管道中逐渐增加的油脂、头发、肥皂、食物残渣。管道系统故障的发生都是因为超负荷的使用，比如家中有很多客人时会使情况恶化并造成堵塞。
下面的小贴士教你如何避免水系统故障的发生。
在厨房里：
1 避免直接将油脂或者烹饪的油倾泻到管道中，因为这些油脂在冷却后会凝固在管道里造成堵塞。用纸将锅里冷却凝固的油脂擦干净。
2 千万不要把难以磨碎的黏性的东西放入垃圾处理器（家禽皮，胡萝卜，芹菜，南瓜果肉或香蕉果皮），处理器不能充分的磨碎这些东西，会堵塞你的下水管。
3 在垃圾处理器排出磨碎的垃圾前和排完后，用冷水持续冲洗15秒，让研磨后的垃圾从家中排水管冲入外面的大管道。
4 在放入食物残渣前打开垃圾粉碎机。
5 在夜间或非高峰时段使用洗碗机和洗衣机，可以保持家中客人们用水时的水温和水压。
在浴室中：
1 安排好使用计划，把沐浴的时间分散在一天；每一个使用者之间间隔10分钟以上，而不要一个紧接着一个使用淋浴设备。
2 热水开关要慢慢的开大，避免一下调到很高的温度。
3 如果喷水头的压力很小，将醋装入塑料袋，把喷头放入袋中，用带子扎好后浸泡一个晚上。第二天早上取出喷头用旧牙刷轻轻刷去软化的水垢，这样从喷头流出的水压就恢复正常了。
4 给浴室和厕所准备一个垃圾桶，存放用过的棉签，棉球，头发，面部磨砂垫，尿布，卫生用品等，而不是把它们直接冲入排水管道，因为这些东西是很难分解的，是造成排水管堵塞的主要原因。
Seasonal Tips for Home Plumbing in Winter
The holidays are coming, bringing together family, friends and a few plumbing emergencies. A majority of Americans take part in holiday parties with 11 or more guests around Thanksgiving and Christmas. These extra guests put a serious strain on a home's plumbing system, which results in more emergency calls to plumbers.
Big holiday meals require a busy kitchen. Too much grease and food finds its way into the kitchen drain or disposer. Holiday guests also equate to extra showers, bath and lots of extra toilet flushes. It all adds up to potential plumbing disasters.
Pipes clog because of a gradual buildup of grease, hair, soap or food particles. All it takes it one major overload, like a house full of guests, to exasperate the situation and create a clogged drain. Follow these tips to avoid a plumbing disaster.
In the kitchen:
• Avoid pouring fats or cooking oils down the drain because liquid fats solidify in the pipes and create clogs. Wipe congealed grease from pots.
• Never put hard-to-grind, stringy, fibrous waste into the garbage disposer (poultry skins, carrots, celery, pumpkin pulp or banana peels). The disposer can't sufficiently grind these items and they will clog your sink drain.
• Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposer to flush waste down the main line.
• Turn on the disposer before adding food debris.
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine at night or at off times to conserve water temperature and pressure for your guests.
In the bathroom:
• Plan ahead, spread out showers throughout the day; wait 10 minutes between showers rather than taking one right after another.
• Turn up the water heater slightly to retain hot water. To avoid scalding, do not exceed 125°F.
• If shower pressure is weak, pour a cup of vinegar into a plastic bag, place it over the showerhead, and soak. Use a twist tie to hold it in place overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and use an old toothbrush to gently scrub off the mineral deposits to help restore water flow.
• Provide a trash bin in the bathroom so the toilet isn't used as a garbage can. Never flush cotton swabs, cotton balls, hair, facial scrub pads, diapers, sanitary products or similar items down the toilet. These items will not easily dissolve and are responsible for most clogs.
