Summer Plumbing Tips | Excalibur Plumbing

If you’re a homeowner, you may assume that your plumbing needs more attention during the late fall and winter months when pipes are more likely to freeze and are getting plenty of use because everyone’s home for the holidays.

But believe it or not, you may be putting more stress on your plumbing system during the summer than any other part of the year. Why? Just think, as the temperatures heat up, there’s more of a demand on your water supply because:

Children are home for the summer
You may be filling an above ground pool
Since the kids are home, you’re doing more dishes
It’s hot outside, so everyone’s taking more showers
Less rain means you have to run the sprinklers more often

Even if you spend half the summer on vacation, leaving your plumbing system untouched can affect your indoor plumbing. To ensure that your system runs smoothly over the hot summer months, follow these summer plumbing tips.

Tip #1. Check those hoses and valves.

Just because it’s the summer, it doesn’t mean you can’t have plumbing leaks and floods. You don’t have to worry about frozen pipes, but other things can still go wrong. In fact, one of the biggest causes of plumbing floods during the summer months is washing machine hoses.

We suggest inspecting your washing machine hoses to ensure that they are nice and tight, and turn your valves on and off to make sure that they’re working perfectly.

Tip #2. Drain your hot water heater.

Since you’re not depending on your hot water heater as much when it’s hot outside, the summer is a great time to inspect and drain your hot water heater. Be sure to check the heating elements, gas burner assembly, and anode rod. It’s best to check the unit during the summer before plumbers are bombarded with hot water heater repairs and replacements in the winter months.

Tip #3. Shut off water when you go on vacation.

Due to pressure problems, you’re more likely to experience a plumbing leak or flood when the plumbing system is not in use. Meaning, there’s a higher chance that a leak or flood will occur in the middle of the night or when you’re not home.

Before you go on vacation, shut off the main water supply to your home. When you’re away on vacation during the summer, you have a lot of hot water that’s building up the pressure because you’re not flushing toilets, doing laundry, or taking showers. Since these systems aren’t designed to handle the pressure for long periods of time, you can remedy the situation by shutting off the water before you leave.

Tip #4. Make sure you have bathroom trashcans.

Sounds odd, but there’s a good reason for this tip. In the summer, people tend to have more traffic and visitors, especially children. If you don’t have bathroom trashcans easily accessible, guests (especially kids) can dispose of tissues, hair, Q-tips, cotton balls and other stuff down the toilet, which can lead to major toilet clogs.

Searching for a Leander plumber? Contact Excalibur Plumbing to schedule a service call!