If Christmas is at your place this year, the guest list probably comes before the plumbing list. There are beds to organise, meals to plan and a fridge to make room in. Meanwhile, the spare toilet still needs a second flush and the shower drain has been slow for months.
With around eight weeks until Christmas, now is a sensible time to deal with those familiar faults. You do not need to assume everything needs replacing; start by finding out what needs attention before visitors arrive.
Use the guest bathroom before your guests do
A bathroom can look ready after a clean without working particularly well. During ordinary use, check whether the basin drains freely, the shower delivers a steady temperature and the toilet flushes and refills normally.
Look for water appearing around the toilet base, persistent dripping, damp cupboard floors or a cistern that keeps running. Avoid repeatedly flushing a toilet that is backing up. These observations are useful details for your plumber, rather than a reason to dismantle anything yourself.
Start with the room your household uses least. It is easier to overlook an issue when nobody relies on that bathroom every morning.
Count overnight visitors, not just Christmas lunch places
Hosting twelve people for lunch is different from having four extra people stay for a week. Overnight visitors change the shower routine, laundry demand and the times everyone needs hot water.
Tell your plumber how many people normally live at home, how many guests are staying and whether showers will run back to back. Include the model of your existing hot water system if you can read its label safely.
Rheem notes that heavy use can reduce available hot water, while faults can also affect temperature. Running short does not automatically mean the system has failed or needs replacing. An assessment can help distinguish a repair issue from a capacity or usage issue.
Do not turn up storage temperatures or adjust valves to try to make the supply last longer. Ask for advice specific to your system. If replacement is being considered, RJT’s hot water recommendation tool is a useful starting point for discussing options.
Give the kitchen sink a better Christmas
Extra cooking means extra washing up, but the sink should not become the disposal point for the meal. In its December 2025 Christmas advice, Unitywater reported 52 fat-related wastewater blockages across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa during the 2024–25 financial year.
Let cooking fats cool and put them in the bin rather than pouring them down the sink. Scrape plates before washing and keep food scraps out of drains. If someone else is helping with the clean-up, make that routine easy with a nearby bin and sink strainer.
If the kitchen sink is already slow or repeatedly blocks, arrange a diagnosis now. A home habit change will not necessarily clear an existing obstruction.
Make a small repair list in November
You do not need to manufacture jobs around the house. Write down the problems you already notice: the dripping tap, the toilet that runs on, the slow basin or the shower that has become unreliable.
Send Reece a short description, your suburb and a clear photo where safe. Mention when visitors arrive so timing can be discussed. Early contact leaves more room to assess the issue, explain options and arrange any parts or follow-up work that may be needed.
If water is actively leaking or a fixture is overflowing, seek help promptly rather than waiting for a planned pre-Christmas visit.
Get the practical jobs sorted before the house fills up
RJT Plumbing & Gas Solutions helps homeowners across North Lakes, Mango Hill, Griffin, Kallangur, Murrumba Downs and surrounding suburbs with plumbing repairs, blocked drains and hot water problems.
Send an enquiry or call 0417 860 064. Tell us what is happening and when your visitors are due; we can discuss the next step and available appointments.
Sources: Unitywater’s festive food waste advice, December 2025; Rheem hot water troubleshooting guidance. Photograph by Libby Penner on Unsplash.
