Prepare for Summer with These Plumbing Tips

The summer season is nearly here and many homeowners across the country are now preparing their properties for the rise in temperatures. Your plumbing system should be reviewed at this time to help ensure a flow of fresh, clean water to your property during the warmer months of the year. In this new post, we’ll help guide you with our summer plumbing tips.

Learn What Can and Cannot be Flushed

Your home plumbing system depends on a clear passage within the pipes so that water flows throughout the system. When a blockage occurs, this can impact your entire property. With the kids home from school this summer and with visiting guests arriving at your home, make sure you learn what items can and cannot be flushed down the toilet. Once you’ve completed the research, make sure a list is placed within the bathroom so that everyone knows how to protect the plumbing system against blockages.

Undergo a Leak Inspection

The start of the summer season is the best time to undergo a leak inspection within the home. If you have a leak in your property, using water throughout the summer might exacerbate the problem and cause lasting structural damage. Have a qualified plumber visit the property and look for leaks during these early summer weeks. The most common sign of a leak is water staining on your walls and ceiling and a rise in your water bills. If you notice any one of these signs, ensure you contact your local plumber immediately.

Check the Hot Water Heater Tank

Corrosion in the hot water heater tank might occur during these warmer months of the year when the heat is most prevalent and when humidity and moisture within the air rise. This added moisture can cause rusting and corrosion of your hot water heater tank system and the connected piping. You can mitigate potential repair or replacement costs by locating the issue as early as possible and informing your plumber. Spend 15 minutes reviewing the tank and looking for rust at the joints connecting the tank to the plumbing. And feel underneath the tank for potential leaks.

Test Your Sump Pump

While the summer brings with it increased sunshine and much warmer temperatures, we’re also at a greater risk of flooding and thunderstorms during this time of the year. And this means we might be more reliant on our sump pumps and our protective systems. Ensure that you test your sump pump before we get to the peak of the summer season. To test the pump, you should turn it on and ensure it’s working. Then pour a bucket of water in it. When working effectively, the pump will then begin working and pumping the water out.

Remember to Turn Off Your Water Supply if You’re Vacationing

When you’re going on vacation, it’s important that you turn off your water supply. Otherwise, you may be paying for water that you’re not using within your home. Turning off your water supply will also help to prevent your home from flooding while you’re away. To turn off the supply, locate the shut-off valve and turn it by hand. This valve should be located directly near your home.

Watch for Growth of Trees and Shrubs

While you might focus the majority of your plumbing maintenance work on the inside of the home, events outside the home can have just as much of an influence over the performance of your plumbing system. If your trees and shrubs are located near sewer lines, make sure that the roots of nearby trees are not blocking the line and causing clogs. If you’re experiencing slower than usual drainage within the home, this could be a clear sign that tree roots are impacting your plumbing and blocking water flow.

Check the Sprinkler System

It’s now the time of the year during which you will come to depend on your home sprinkler system. Ensure that you have the system checked by professionals if you notice any problems with the unit when starting it up. Check all sprinkler heads to make sure they’re performing effectively, and ensure that the sprinkler heads are cleaned before using the unit for the first time. If you have someone else mowing your lawn, ensure that they know where the sprinkler system is located so that you can protect it for the years ahead.

Close Off Outside Hoses When They’re Not Being Used

You’ll likely find that you use more water during the summer months compared with winter. This is the result of using the sprinkler more, and simply having more people within the home during the summer months when the kids are home from school and guests stay at the property. Ensure you’re using water efficiently to reduce your home water expenditures. This begins with the hoses outside the home. While your kids might want to splash around in the water from hoses, ensure the hoses are turned off when they’re not being used. This can save hundreds of gallons of water over the summer.

Focus on Gutter Maintenance

Another area of home plumbing which doesn’t get a lot of attention are the gutters outside the home. As the wind blows the leaves and lawn debris over the home, this debris can quickly become lodged within the gutters. Any object that becomes stuck within the gutter system will cause a blockage that prevents optimal water flow around the home. During a rainstorm, you may find that the area immediately outside your home begins to flood if you have a blockage in the gutters. And so you should clean the gutters regularly to ensure that rainwater is moved away from the property.

Our experienced plumbing professionals at Brothers Plumbing are here to help guide you in managing your home’s plumbing infrastructure. To learn more about our company and the full range of services we offer, please call us today.