Raleigh homeowners love entertaining holiday guests, but the season can take a real toll on the core systems. Increased electricity demand, plenty of plumbing use, and unpredictable weather make hosting a bit complicated for even experienced hosts and hostesses. Yellow Dot Heating & Air Conditioning has a few tips to prepare your HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems to handle the heavy holiday load.

How To Prepare Your Home for the Holidays

The holiday season can take a real toll on your home’s most important systems. Hosting a few friends or relatives means more water use, more electricity use, and more folks tweaking the thermostat to get comfortable. Fortunately, there are a few things homeowners can do to reduce the risk of leaks, clogs, or other issues, so they can focus on making merry rather than making late-night phone calls for emergency repairs.

1. Prevent Overloaded Circuits

Mobile phones, computers, freshly unwrapped gadgets and gizmos; electricity powers the holidays. Combined with increased appliance use, big or small, your circuits can quickly become overloaded, increasing the risk of blown fuses and fire.

How To Avoid Overloaded Circuits

Identify which devices and appliances are on the same circuit; head to your circuit panel and turn off circuits one by one, and whatever powers down is on the circuit. Try to balance out how many appliances are on any given circuit, especially in the kitchen.
Indicate outlets on circuits with lower electricity demand for guests to use.
Avoid using portable devices like space heaters and hair dryers at the same time and on the same circuit.

If your home is still experiencing overloaded circuits, consider rewiring them to improve performance and reduce your risk of fire or other problems.

2. Clean Out Drains

Backed-up sink and shower drains can cause real problems, especially when there are more people in the home than usual. Make time before guests arrive to clean out drains and avoid back-ups, leaks, and foul odors from clogged drains.

Cleaning Kitchen Drains

The most common causes of clogged kitchen drains are food debris and grease. To clean out kitchen drains, pour 1 cup of baking soda into the sink drain. If possible, cover the drain with a cap to force the pressure down the pipe. Let the baking soda work its magic for 10-15 minutes, then pour a pitcher of hot water down the drain to help dislodge and clear any remaining debris.

Cleaning Shower Drains

Soap scum and hair are the two most common causes of shower drain clogs. While the baking soda method can sometimes help with soap scum, it is not effective against hair. To remove hair from your bathtub drain, you will need tools such as a drain snake, wire, a hanger, or a plunger. If you continue to experience issues after trying these methods, the problem may be due to tree roots in your sewer line. A professional service can identify the underlying cause and resolve the issue quickly, preventing further problems such as leaks or unpleasant backups.

3. Prevent Clogged Toilets

It’s the stuff of nightmares; you’re visiting friends and family, use the bathroom, and have to inform your host that the toilet might be clogged. (You know it is!) There are a few ways to protect your plumbing and your guests from the horror of a rapidly-overflowing toilet and prevent the associated embarrassment; here’s how.

How To Prevent Toilet Clogs

The best way to prevent clogged toilets is to remove any non-flushable items from the bathroom. Guests might be tempted to flush feminine products, tissues, or other items down the toilet, especially if they can’t find the trash can. Preparing your home for guests should include removing these items from the bathroom for the duration of their stay.

There’s a reason one holiday in particular is the busiest plumbing day of the year. Occurring the day after Thanksgiving, “Brown Friday” sees a spike in plumbing problems, mostly associated with lots of house guests, heavy food intake, and families spending more time at staying home.

4. Freshen Up Your Home’s Scent

Even immaculately clean and tidy homes have a unique scent. While you may not notice it, some guests may find your home’s natural aroma distracting - or worse, smelly. Instead of covering up your home’s odors, tackle subtle smells at the source.

How To Deodorize Your Home Quickly

Air it out: Open windows and doors and run your HVAC system’s fan to increase air flow in the house.
Remove the stink: Take out the trash, clean drains, throw out old food in the fridge, and clean soft materials like upholstery, rugs, and carpeting.

There are also natural ways to deodorize your home, such as shaking baking soda onto carpet or rugs and letting it sit for 20-30 minutes before vacuuming it up. Skip expensive and overpowering air fresheners and make your own: you can mix baking soda and your favorite essential oil in a small jar and place it near the trash or sink!

Preparing Your Home for Holiday Guests Is Simple

Get ready for the holidays by making your guests feel welcome and being prepared for anything with Yellow Dot Heating & Air Conditioning. Residents of Raleigh trust our local home service technicians for prompt, professional service. Have a wonderful holiday season, and schedule your appointment now to tackle common home issues early!

Call 919-925-4235 or contact us online to schedule HVAC, electrical, or plumbing services in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and the surrounding areas.

How To Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests