Plumbers across the land – and right here in Sonoma Valley – “fondly” refer to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday, and not because we spend most of our time shopping.

As it turns out, it’s generally our busiest drain cleaning day of the year, so with all that going on, who’s got time to shop? Actually, we’d love to and so to help us get our shopping done on time, we’d like to present you with some helpful tips for keeping your kitchen sink drain and garbage disposal running free and clear. Not just on Thanksgiving, but throughout the holiday season when we all tend to cook with more “FOG”: fats, oil, and grease. The stuff that clogged drains usually are made of.

Properly Dispose of the FOG – That last place fats, oil and grease belong is in your drain system where it can and eventually will –with enough repetition – congeal, harden, and stick to the inside of your drain pipes. So to prevent that from happening, pour or wipe FOG into disposable containers you can then place in the trash.

Your Drains Hate Fibrous Foods – Things like lettuce, spinach, and other soft vegetables were simply not meant to be ground up by your garbage disposal. So don’t try! Unless you’re prepared to deal with a disposal that stops disposing of food scraps.

Run Plenty of Hot Water During and After Running Your Disposal – Just in case some fats, etc., do make it down your drain or into your disposal, run hot water to help make sure none of it sticks to your pipes.

Don’t Forget the Baking Soda – If you’re cleaning up after a big meal, throw some baking soda down the drain and garbage disposal once all the dishes are done, and chase the baking soda with about thirty seconds or so of hot water.

Clean Your Drain and Disposal Before the Meal – If you can’t remember the last time you’ve cleaned your kitchen sink drain or garbage disposal, then why wait until after the meal to see if everything drains as it should? Especially when you can hedge your bet by pouring a half cup each of vinegar and baking soda into your drain, followed immediately by about two quarts of boiling water. For even greater cleaning action, close the drain and garbage disposal lids. Then, after about a half hour, rinse both of them with cold water just to make sure things are flowing nice and smoothly.

Still, when all else fails, you can always call the plumbing professionals at Boden Plumbing Heating & Air for a prompt response, and professional results that meet or exceed your expectations. May all your holiday meals be festive and clog free!

Happiness is – a lot of things. But somewhere on your list, no doubt, sits this answer: a heating system that works flawlessly all winter long.

At Boden Plumbing Heating & Air, we get to deliver that kind of happiness all season long with our heating system cleaning and inspection service. You see, with annual preventative maintenance, you can look forward to:

• Fewer repairs
• Longer system lifespan
• Consistent temperatures throughout your home
• Added safety
• Reduced heating costs
• Cleaner indoor air

If that’s not enough incentive for you, consider the flip side of the coin: as in, without annual preventative maintenance, the odds increase exponentially that your heating system won’t perform up to its potential, especially since its average lifespan is only 15 – 20 years to begin with.

So how do we help keep your furnace running without interruption? Here are just a few of the steps involved in our cleaning and inspection process:

• Clean or replace your filter, as needed
• Lubricate all working parts, as needed
• Tighten all electrical connections
• Check for cracks or leaks that could allow carbon monoxide into your living quarters – a major safety consideration
• Ensure that your thermostat is working properly
• Ensure proper and balanced airflow
• Check voltage and amperage to all motors
• Inspect electrical safety circuits
• Run and test system

Before we leave your home, you’ll have a real good idea if your heating system is ready to give you the kind of uninterrupted services we know you expect. And it if still needs a little more work? We’ll explain what needs to be done, and give you an upfront price quote for your approval.

At the end of the day, we can all use a boost on the happiness meter. So contact Boden Plumbing Heating & Air to schedule our heating system cleaning and inspection service, and get ready to worry just a little bit less.