Specialists in blocked drains and plumbing repairs

Things That Grow Plump In The Pipe

Pumpkins

So you might guess from that headline that this is about something scary, and it could be.

One of the seasonal problems that cause backed up sinks and blocked drains at this time of year, is the discarded waste from all those carved up Halloween Pumpkins.

Tradition says that for Halloween we should all by a big, plump Pumpkin and carve it into the scariest face possible. I would say that this is something for the kids to do, but I’ve seen plenty of enthusiastic parents chopping away to create a fiendish grin in the large orange fruit – Yup that’s right, a Pumpkin belongs to the same family as the Cucumber, Melon, Butternut Squash and other Gourds.

It’s what happens to all the ‘innards’ of the Pumpkin when you’re finished and this is where the problems can begin.

If you think it’s ok to wash it down the sink, then you could well be in for a nasty surprise. The orange flesh of the pumpkin can quickly harden and stick to the sides of your kitchen waste system and drains. This will quickly attract other waste matter, restricting the flow through the pipes. Before too long you find yourself with a completely blocked waste system, which can be far scarier than anything you encountered on Halloween itself.

What Should You Do With a Carved Pumpkin

If you’ve managed to clean out your Pumpkin nicely and salvaged much of the flesh from the insides, you can find a ton of pumpkin recipes online to prepare something seasonal for your family and friends. You can even Cook those Pumpkin Seeds for a healthy snack.

Everything from the pumpkin that you don’t want, including the remains of the sad shrivelling Lantern you made a few days ago, could be added to your compost if you have one. You can also bury it and allow it to rot in the ground, enriching the soil for next year. Otherwise, it should go into your food waste recycling. If you don’t have food waste recycling in your area, then wrap it in paper and place it in your bin.

Whatever you do decide to do with it, please don’t put it down the sink.

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