Christmas at Home Without the Plumbing Drama

A jolly, genuinely useful winter guide from Leeva Plumbing & Heating (Ripley, Belper & Alfreton).

Christmas has a special talent for turning “small annoyances” into “full-blown household emergencies”. A dripping tap becomes a soundtrack. A slow drain becomes a swimming pool. And a boiler that’s been mostly fine since last winter suddenly decides it’s taking the holidays off too.

So, in the spirit of mince pies, warm radiators, and not having to explain to your guests why the only working loo is “the one in the garage”… here’s a festive, practical guide to keeping your plumbing and heating behaving itself over Christmas.

The Christmas Plumbing Hit List (What Usually Goes Wrong)

If you’ve got extra people at home, more cooking, more washing up, and heating running harder, these are the usual culprits:

• Blocked kitchen sinks (hello, gravy fat and potato peelings)
• Slow drains & overflowing gullies (more water use and winter debris outside)
• Toilets playing up (guests and “flushable” wipes that absolutely aren’t)
• Frozen pipes (one cold night, one forgotten outdoor tap…)
• Boiler pressure issues (often noticed when the house is busiest)

A useful little fact: water expands when it freezes by roughly 9%, which is why frozen pipes can split rather than just “thaw and be fine”. That expansion has to go somewhere.

Before the Guests Arrive: 10-Minute “Festive Proof” Check

Do this once and you’ll dodge most of the classic Christmas chaos:

1. Find your stop tap (stopcock)
   If you had to describe its location to someone in a panic… could you?
   Bonus points: gently test it turns (don’t force it).
2. Check boiler pressure
   Many systems like to sit around 1.0–1.5 bar when cold (varies by system). If yours is constantly dropping, it’s worth looking into before the big day.
3. Give the radiators a quick feel
   Cold at the bottom is normal-ish. Cold at the top often means air. A quick bleed can improve heat.
4. Check for “quiet leaks”
   Look under sinks, around toilets, and behind washing machines. A small leak + holiday downtime = bigger mess later.
5. Clear leaves from outside drains/gullies
   If they’re blocked, heavy rain and extra water use can back things up.

Kitchen Sink Survival: The Gravy-Fat Rule

Christmas cooking is peak sink-block season.

Golden rule: never pour fat, oil, or grease down the sink, even if it’s “just a bit”. It cools, sticks to the pipe walls, and collects everything behind it like a festive snowball of doom.

Do this instead:

• Pour cooking fat into a container/jar, let it cool, and bin it.
• Use a sink strainer to catch food scraps.
• If your sink is slow: try hot water and washing up liquid (not boiling water on plastic pipework) as a gentle first step.

Avoid: chemical drain cleaners as a go-to. They can be harsh on pipework and, if there’s a bigger blockage, they can leave corrosive liquid sitting in the system.

Toilets & Guests: The “Nothing Weird Goes Down There” Policy

It’s not the most glamorous Christmas conversation, but it’s better than calling for help mid-Boxing Day.

Only these go down the loo:

• Pee
• Poo
• Toilet paper

That’s it. Not wipes (even “flushable”), cotton buds, sanitary products, or kitchen roll.

A handy tip if you’re hosting: pop a small, lidded bin in the bathroom. It saves your pipework and avoids awkwardness.

Frozen Pipes: How to Stop Christmas Turning into a Defrost Mission

Cold snaps don’t care what day it is.

Prevention that actually works:

• Insulate exposed pipes in lofts, garages, and outside walls.
• Keep the heating on low if you’re away for a night or two (or use frost-protection settings if your system has them).
• Know your outdoor taps; these are common freeze points.

If a pipe freezes:

• Turn the tap on slightly (so melting water can escape)
• Warm it gently with a hairdryer or warm towels (never a blowtorch)
• If it’s burst or leaking: turn off the stop tap and call a professional

Boiler Behaving Badly? The “Don’t Panic Yet” Checklist

If the heating or hot water goes funny during the holidays, check:

• Thermostat settings (it happens!)
• Boiler pressure (if it’s very low, the system may not run properly)
• Any error code (note it down, it helps diagnosis)
• Frozen condensate pipe (common in cold weather on condensing boilers)

If you suspect the condensate pipe has frozen, don’t start dismantling things unless you’re confident and safe to do so. A quick call for advice can save you making it worse.

Radiators: Warm House, Happier Christmas

If some rooms are chilly while others are toasty:

• Bleed radiators if they’re cold at the top (air trapped)
• If the issue is across multiple radiators, your system might need balancing or there may be another underlying issue

Small comfort upgrade: if you’ve got guests staying over, a warm bedroom radiator is a serious “host points” multiplier.

The Christmas Eve “Please Don’t Ruin Tomorrow” Routine

This is the quick one. Ten minutes, job done:

• Empty the sink strainer and wipe away food debris
• Take bins out (less chance of “I’ll just shove it down the sink” moments)
• Quick look under sinks for drips
• Make sure the heating is set sensibly overnight
• Locate the stop tap (again, future you will thank you)

When to Call a Plumber (Before It Gets Worse)

Call for help if you notice:

• Water staining, bubbling paint, or damp patches
• A leak you can’t easily stop
• Repeated blockages
• Boiler pressure dropping often
• No heating/hot water that won’t reset safely

The earlier you catch it, the less likely it is to turn into a full-blown holiday disaster.

A Very Merry (and Warm) Christmas from Leeva Plumbing & Heating

The goal is simple: cosy home, hot showers, working loo, zero drama.

If you’re in Ripley, Belper, Alfreton (and nearby Derbyshire areas) and you need a hand with plumbing or heating over the winter period, Leeva Plumbing & Heating are here to help.

Merry Christmas!