It’s Christmas! Hoorah, lots of snoozing in my basket!

But Bernard my master always expect there to be emergency call outs – and he’s never been wrong yet! The weather’s mild at the moment but if temperatures do drop, there’s bound to be pipes which will freeze up because they’re outside and haven’t been lagged properly.

Can’t wait for Christmas Day – all those scrumptious scraps which find their way into my bowl – even if I have to fetch them off the table myself! Woof woof! Bernard pretends to be annoyed but then he fills my water bowl with beer and I suddenly need to start chasing my tail!

Turkey fat, oil or grease

Of course, it’s all about eating and drinking over the festive season and sinks can so easily get blocked, especially if someone decides to pour the turkey fat, oil or other types of grease or thick foodstuffs down the plug hole. Trying to clear the blockage with hot water may not help very much because in some properties the pipes may have not been correctly installed.

The problem of misaligned pipes is not uncommon and can sometimes be the reason why residue easily builds up into a blockage causing a kitchen sink to take an unusually long time to drain away and start to smell, even if not excessively used. However, a smell coming from a kitchen sink drain could simply mean the waste pipe traps need to be cleaned out. It’s no fun for me trying to sniff out buried bones!

Preventing a build up of waste

Apart from ensuring that turkey fat is never poured away down the sink, one good tip to help prevent a build up of waste blocking up the pipes is to pour boiling water down the kitchen sink followed by hot soapy water on a weekly basis. Follow this up with half a packet of soda crystals and another kettle full of boiling water down the sink every two weeks.

If the toilet or bathroom sink and bath plug holes appear to be blocked then there is likely to be a problem with the drainage system. If the outside drain starts to overflow each time then it’s time for a plumber to lift the grates and trace the blockage.

Seasonal wishes

Hopefully, we won’t get too many blocked drains to deal with on emergency callouts! Bernard spends the whole year conscientiously telling all his customers how to take care of their water systems and reminds them to have their boilers serviced and radiators checked well before the winter season.

I’m sure Bernard would want to join me now in wishing you all – our lovely customers past, present – and those who might need to call because of a blocked or burst pipe – a very merry Christmas!

Just can’t wait for Christmas Day – every year, Bernard always has a present for me. A cat may have nine lives but Moo the dog expects to get a new leash on life! Woof woof!

See you all here in January!