Plumber gives Thanksgiving suggestions

QUINCY (WGEM) - In two days it’ll be Thanksgiving and whether you’re cooking or hosting guests, your plumbing will see more use.

Nicklaus Hopper, the owner of Hopper Plumbing LLC, said he and other plumbers are busy this time of year working to unclog everything from sinks to toilets and he expects to have the same call volume throughout Christmas.

He said around this time of year, people look to finish projects like remodeling their bathroom before guests arrive. He said they also get lots of calls about clogged pipes, especially when people put food down the drain that isn’t supposed to go down the drain.

“The things that you really shouldn’t put down there are things like coffee grounds, pasta, rice, bread, all those things expand down the drain, rice is probably one of the worst,” Hopper said.

He said rice in one pipe got so bad he had to cut the pipe apart to push it through. He said to also not put any bones or stringy fruits or vegetables like celery. He said grease can slowly build up and make the inside of the pipe narrow to where almost nothing can get through.

He said if you plan to have guests over, watch what they flush, because if they use flushable wipes, it can quickly clog up your pipes.

“If it’s just a matter of snaking them and getting them out it could be just a few hundred dollars, but if it gets so bad that you can’t get a machine through it, usually that leads to other problems that were already pre-existing sometimes you could have to dig up the sewer,” Hopper said.

He said that could potentially cost thousands of dollars. He said on Thanksgiving, if you try to call a plumber, it might be difficult to find one available, but if you do find one, depending on the company, they might charge time and a half or even double time for the job.

He said if you want to solve the plumbing problem yourself, he recommends being careful using chemicals like Draino as depending on if your pipes are made of steel, cast iron, or copper, it can eat through them. He said if you are concerned that the clog is too much, give a plumber a call.

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