Summer is the perfect time for vacations, carefree fun, and cookouts. However, plumbing problems can make you and your family miserable and disrupt your recreational plans. While plumbing issues are commonly associated with winters due to pipe freezing, your plumbing works harder during summer with a full household. Learn about the most common summer plumbing issues to watch for.
1. Clogged Disposals
Summer is the unofficial grill season when homeowners host cookouts. However, the oil and grease from all the summer can result in stubborn clogs if you pour them down your drain. Moreover, food leftovers like bones, corn, potato peels, eggshells, and pasta cause blockages. Since the garbage disposal cannot handle all these food remnants, it can easily malfunction from the kitchen traffic.
Be sure to avoid pouring grease down the drain, and keep stubborn food items from your garbage disposal to avoid inconvenient clogs.
2. Sewer Line Backups
The last thing you want after an enjoyable summer vacation is to come home to a flooded house. Although Florida is the Sunshine State, it experiences its share of rainy weather and thunderstorms in the summer. The rainwater can overwhelm your sewer system, resulting in backups into your home.
Also, tree roots can interfere with the sewer system and cause larger cracks. A sewer backup requires emergency plumbing services due to the risk of contamination.
3. Blocked Toilets
Summer can mean clogged toilets for a full household. The increased toilet usage, in addition to kids flushing small objects, can result in frequent clogs. What’s more, guests can flash wet wipes, paper towels, and other items that shouldn’t go down the toilet drain.
You can use a plunger to solve minor clogs, but you will need professional plumbers to dislodge serious clogs. Another thing to do is to let your kids and guests know what they cannot flush. Additionally, ensure your children know the responsible amount of toilet paper to use.
4. Sprinkler Problems
Sprinklers keep your grass nourished throughout the summer, but they’re prone to various issues. Firstly, broken sprinkler heads wastewater and look unappealing. Fortunately, fixing them is as easy as getting exact replacements from the hardware store.
If the sprinkler heads are watering your yard unevenly, debris has likely caused clogs. A piece of wire or paperclip can help you unclog the clogged holes on the sprinkler head or soak it in water. A leaky sprinkler can also result in water wastage, especially if there’s a broken seal. If you can’t see damage to the sprinkler head, try replacing the seal.
5. Slow Clearing Shower Drains
Florida homeowners commonly experience slow-draining bathtubs and showers in the summer. Warm weather means frequent showers, which results in more hair in the drains. If your family are avid beach-goers, they may bring back pebbles, sand, and stones with them. When you wash off these objects, they travel to the drains and cause blockages.
Also, washed-off sunscreen adds grease to the drains, and it’s advisable to wash it off outside. Adding a drain cover at the start of summer can prevent clogs.
6. Washing Machine Issues
Your washing machine is likely overused over the summer due to the extra loads. If the appliance isn’t draining or filling as it should check for faulty water hoses. Blockages inside the hose prevent your washer from filling correctly and results in drainage problems.
Hose leaks are also common in the summer, and they may inflate your water bill if left unattended. If the leaks are too extensive for repair, you need replacement services from a credible plumber. Washing smaller loads and cleaning the washer’s interior can help you keep your appliance in good shape through summer.
At A-1 Affordable Plumbing Inc., we have the expertise and experience to ensure you have a carefree summer. If any of the above issues occur this summer, contact our team to fix them immediately.
