On the first day of Christmas, my old house gave to me: a toilet that won’t stop running.
On the second day of Christmas, my old house gave to me: two clogged drains and a toilet that won’t stop running.
On the third day of Christmas, my old house gave to me: three leaking faucets, two clogged drains, and a toilet that won’t stop running.
Okay, you get the idea. But let’s be honest, if you’re a homeowner in Dawsonville or anywhere in North Georgia, this song hits a little too close to home during the holidays. Nothing says festive cheer quite like plumbing problems when you’ve got a house full of family, a turkey in the oven, and nowhere for anyone to go.
So here’s our complete version of the holiday classic nobody asked for but everyone with an old house can relate to.
The Twelve Days of Christmas Plumbing Disasters
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my old house gave to me:
Twelve guests all showering (and zero hot water left for you)
Eleven garbage disposals grinding (on things they definitely should not be grinding)
Ten faucets a-dripping (each one wasting 3,000 gallons a year while you try to sleep)
Nine pipes a-freezing (because you forgot to insulate that one section in the crawl space)
Eight toilets overflowing (from your nephew flushing who-knows-what)
Seven sinks a-clogging (potato peels, we’re looking at you)
Six washers running (because somehow everyone brought dirty laundry to Christmas)
Five burst pipes! (the most expensive verse in any Christmas carol)
Four pressure drops (when everyone decides to shower at the exact same time)
Three backed-up sewers (we don’t even want to talk about this one)
Two frozen faucets (the outdoor ones you definitely meant to disconnect before winter)
And a water heater older than most of your relatives
Why This Song Is Too Real
If you’ve been a homeowner for more than one holiday season, you’ve probably experienced at least three verses of this disaster carol. The holidays put more stress on your plumbing system than any other time of year.
You’ve got extra people taking showers, doing laundry, and using bathrooms. Your kitchen is working overtime with dishwashers running multiple times a day and garbage disposals processing feast after feast. Everyone’s washing their hands constantly because Aunt Linda won’t stop reminding them about germs.
Your poor water heater, which has been limping along just fine serving two people all year, suddenly has to provide hot water for eight houseguests who all want to shower before breakfast.
And let’s not forget the classic move of dumping grease down the drain because you’re too busy hosting to deal with it properly. Spoiler alert: your pipes will make you deal with it later, probably right when you’re about to serve dessert.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving (Problems)
The worst part about holiday plumbing disasters is the timing. Everything goes wrong when hardware stores are closed, family is visiting, and you’re already stressed about making sure the turkey doesn’t dry out.
We’ve gotten calls on Christmas Eve from panicked homeowners with toilets backing up into their bathtubs. We’ve been to homes on Christmas morning to fix burst pipes that flooded basements overnight. We’ve rescued more than a few holiday dinners by getting garbage disposals unjammed minutes before guests arrived.
Don’t Let Your House Sing This Song
The good news is most of these disasters are preventable. A pre-holiday plumbing inspection can catch problems before they ruin your festivities. Getting your water heater flushed before houseguests arrive means everyone gets hot showers. Knowing what not to put down your drains and disposal saves you from mid-dinner emergencies.
If your house starts singing this unfortunate carol this holiday season, call North Georgia Rooter. We’ll handle your plumbing disasters so you can get back to the cookies, presents, and significantly less stressful Christmas carols.
Happy Holidays from all of us at North Georgia Rooter. May your pipes stay clear and your water stay hot.