Be a wise disposer and save money

Carving Jack-o’-lanterns has been a Halloween tradition since Victorian times, but the sticky pumpkin insides wreak havoc on modern kitchen sink drains. When carvers put the insides down the drain through the garbage disposal, disaster strikes.
To help prevent Halloween drain disasters, Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Service recommends carving pumpkins on a thick bed of newspapers far from that kitchen sink. When the Jack-o’-lantern is finished, all pumpkin pulp should be wrapped up in the old newspaper and tossed into a garbage can or a compost pile.
“It’s surprising how many people try to get rid of pumpkin guts down the disposal,” said Paul Abrams, a spokesperson for Roto-Rooter. “The slimy stuff gums up disposals, sticks to the pipes then hardens like glue to choke-off your drains.”
Roto-Rooter recalls that during most years, its plumbers responded to several reports concerning pumpkin guts being flushed down a toilet, often with similar clog-causing results. The toilet, no better than the kitchen sink, with its powerful flush, only causes the clog to form a little farther down the pipe.
Instead of dumping the body down the drain, Roto-Rooter suggests planting or eating the seeds. Pumpkin seeds planted next spring will grow into pumpkins by next Halloween. The seed, a tasty snack, can be rinsed off, roasted on a cookie sheet and then salted for an additional tasty treat.
Roto-Rooter, established in 1935, is the largest provider of plumbing and drain cleaning services in the U.S. and Canada. Roto-Rooter operates businesses in 113 company-owned territories and more than 500 independent franchise territories serving approximately 91 percent of the U.S. population and 55 percent of the Canadian population. For more information about Roto-Rooter, visit www.rotorooter.com