Between the holidays and the beautiful summer weather, the party season is picking up speed. And now that you've ironed out the details–the food, the drinks, the number of tables and chairs its time to think about the one thing that keeps your party going behind the scenes: electricity & plumbing! The kitchen and bathroom are approaching maximum capacity, and there’s a much greater strain on your garbage disposal, your water heater, your toilet and the rest of your plumbing than usual. Meanwhile you need to keep your food cold, and you might need your range, microwave, and any number of electric appliances to prep and clean up the meal. You'll likely also need lights, music and air conditioning to beat the summer heat.

With all this in mind its easy to see that nothing ruins a great party faster than plumbing or electrical trouble! Get your place party-ready by checking all your systems and doing any property maintenance that might be required, that way you can fix any minor issues before they become emergencies. Doing so will save you time, headaches, money and embarrassment! After all some electrical and plumbing issues are just inconveniences, but some problems are potentially very serious.

The Toilet and Bathroom

Your sewerage lines are sized to handle the number of people who would normally occupy your home or building. When you multiply that number by hosting a party or by having a large number of overnight guests, the extra load on the system can easily overwhelm a septic tank or magnify what may now only be a minor problem; increasing your risk of clogs and overflows. Prevention is absolutely the best way to handle toilet and bathroom plumbing problems. It's worth having a professional fix any minor issues before they become major ones. Nothing ruins a party like a backed-up loo! Now is the time to run some Draino, ensuring that hair and other debris do not back up later.

The Kitchen

Besides the bathroom, the kitchen area gets the most strain during the party season. Every party needs food and drinks, but prepping, cooking and disposing of all that can put lots of pressure on your plumbing. Here are a few things to check to make sure your kitchen is in perfect running order before the party begins.

Save yourself from puddles and dirty dishwater backups. Check that your basin and garbage disposal are not draining slowly, backing up or leaking. Your garbage disposal is not another rubbish bin; it's meant for small scraps and scrapings and not for disposing of leftovers when the bin bag is full. Jams, leaks and clogs come from misuse or sometimes just age; is it time to replace it? Check that the disposal works effectively, and if it doesn't turn on, grind food or drain smoothly, you may need a plumber.

Check your dishwasher, too, because it can easily become clogged and end up depositing everything it washed off the plates onto your glassware. Clean the filter and ensure you have your rinse-aid on hand, and run the cleaning cycle regularly over the busy period. No one wants to be hand-washing mountains of dishes when they should be mingling with their guests. While you're at it, make sure your kitchen tap isn't leaking—check both on top and under the cabinet.

If your lights flicker when it's windy outside or dim when you start the blender, you need an electrician. If you're relying heavily on extension cords to power appliances, you need an electrician. If one of your appliances doesn’t even turn on... you guessed it, you definitely need an electrician!

Extra outlets are easy and relatively inexpensive to install, so if you're constantly switching out plugs during your summer parties, it's worth it to have one or two extra installed. Larger appliances malfunctioning could be as minor as a wiring problem, or it could be something wrong with the motor. Other issues will likely require a more thorough inspection, and they could be serious.

Living Room

The most common electrical issues in living rooms are related to overloaded outlets and circuits. If you have multiple extension cords or power strips for your entertainment devices—televisions, DVD players, speakers, computers, etc.—you should have an extra outlet or two installed to reduce the risk of shorts and fires. If something shuts off when you begin vacuuming, it's likely that the circuit is overloaded and the wires can't handle the load. Any kind of social gathering is going to put an even heavier load on the circuits. So when you've got carols playing, a Christmas tree all lit up and appliances in use, everything could go dark. Don't wait for an emergency to make the call to an electrician.

Backyard

Think of your backyard as an outdoor room. There are several electrical issues that might not seem like a big deal until your get-together is underway. You'll need to check your outdoor lighting and make sure you have enough outlets and won’t overload a circuit, especially if you're putting up Christmas globes or other extra lighting. You'll also need to check the electrical systems associated with your pool, spa or hot-tub to make sure they're working properly.