You don’t usually think about your plumbing in the summer. It’s not freezing, nothing’s bursting, life is good…right?
Summer plumbing issues are sneaky. They often don’t happen with obvious signs, the way a winter pipe burst does. They build up slowly, hide in places you never look, and tend to reveal themselves at the worst possible moment, usually when the in-laws are visiting or you’re hosting a Fourth of July cookout.
The disposal disaster you can smell coming
Summer means cookouts, corn on the cob, and a whole lot of food scraps heading down the kitchen sink.
The problem is that disposals are not nearly as tough as people think. Fibrous foods like corn husks, celery, and watermelon rinds wrap around the blades. Starchy items like potato peels turn into a paste that coats the inside of your pipes. Grease from grilling poured down the drain solidifies the moment it hits cooler pipes underground.
The result is usually a clogged kitchen drain about 24 hours after a big family dinner.
Prevention is mostly behavioral. Scrape plates into the trash before they hit the sink. Pour grease into an old can and toss it after it solidifies. Run cold water (not hot) for a full thirty seconds after using the disposal.
If you’ve already got a slow drain, professional drain clearing is far more thorough than using harsh chemical cleaners from the hardware store, which are dangerous if they come in contact with skin and eyes, and can actually damage your pipes over time.
The washing machine hose that fails on vacation
The number one cause of household water damage isn’t a frozen pipe or a slab leak. It’s a washing machine supply hose that finally gives out. If a hose fails while you’re out of town for a week, the damage can run into the tens of thousands.
Summer is peak failure season because high humidity accelerates the breakdown of rubber hoses. Add to that increased usage of your washer keeping up with sweaty clothes, beach towels, and swimming gear.
If your hoses are the rubber kind and you can’t remember the last time you replaced them, it’s worth swapping them for braided stainless steel. The cost is reasonable and they basically don’t fail.
The water heater that hates Raleigh tap water
Most homeowners don’t think about their water heater until it stops working.
Sediment from hard water builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and the buildup gets worse the longer it’s ignored. You’ll hear it as a popping or rumbling sound when the heater is running. That sediment forces the burner to work harder, runs up your energy bill, and shortens the life of the tank.
An annual flush from Weather Master takes us about an hour and helps to extend the useful life to your water heater. It’s one of those small maintenance items that pays for itself many times over.
Weather Master is the one to trust
The thing about summer plumbing problems is that they’re almost all preventable. A few simple habits and one scheduled maintenance visit are the difference between a smooth summer and a frantic emergency call on a Sunday.
Call us at (919) 853-7910 or schedule online, and we’ll help you catch the small stuff before it turns into the big stuff.