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Summertime can be an excellent time for outdoor activities and family reunions; however, excessive heat can create plumbing issues. Expansion of pipes causes them to expand too much, leading to leaks or bursts that require professional repair services.
Summer is also an ideal time for families to host out-of-town guests for extended stays, which can lead to increased toilet flushes and water consumption.
So, if you want to keep your plumbing system in tip-top shape this summer, be sure to continue reading.
Check Your Water Pressure
Once the school year has ended and friends visit over the summer, your water usage increases significantly. According to Clover Services in Centreville, VA, more dishes, toilet flushes, and showers put added strain on your pipes, leading to low water pressure levels and decreasing pressure for showering or tubbing.
Fluctuating water pressure could indicate something is amiss with your house valves or pipes, making a test for fluctuating pressure a wise idea. You can test your pressure with an easy hose bib gauge available from most hardware stores – residential water pressure should generally fall between 40-60 PSI.
Be sure to verify the tight connections of your hoses and faucets; loose connections can lead to leakage that damages the plumbing.
Check for signs of rust and corrosion on the sink, tub, shower hardware, and exposed outdoor pipes to protect them from the summer heat. If any signs of deterioration emerge in any outdoor pipework, insulate it before placing outdoors for summer heat protection. Immediately replacing any signs of corroded pipe could save both time and money in the long run!
Keep Your Drains Clean
Summer brings new visitors into your home, often sending more food waste through your garbage disposal system. Plus, more people taking showers or using the toilet means more clogs requiring professional drain cleaning services.
Keeping your drains clean is a vital part of avoiding clogs. One effective method is the baking soda and vinegar method learned during your elementary school science projects; pour several tablespoons of baking soda down your smelly drain, followed by plain white vinegar.
The chemical reaction should cause any blockages to disassemble while at the same time dispelling unpleasant odors from either your kitchen or bathroom.
Rinsing your drains regularly with hot water is also recommended to help avoid food waste, grease, and coffee grounds clogging up your pipes and causing blockages. A sink strainer can help catch larger food particles.
Avoid Clogged Drains
Clogged drains can be an enormous hassle for homeowners and guests. From bad smells to fluctuating water pressure and even structural damage to pipes, clogs can cause many headaches. But you can avoid such troubles by taking a few simple steps during the summer.
Keep a careful watch over what goes down your drains – flush only toilet paper, urine, and feces down the toilet. Be mindful of food scraps, grease, and coffee grounds in the kitchen sink – they shouldn’t end up in your garbage disposal! Furthermore, avoid washing greasy or oily dishes there!
If your drain becomes blocked, try pouring baking soda and vinegar down it; the chemical reaction should dislodge and dissolve the clog to allow your pipe to flow freely again. If this doesn’t work, call in a plumber as they have more advanced tools to handle deeper, more serious clogs.
Schedule a Drain Cleaning
Summertime is an ideal time for drain cleaning services to arrive and perform their magic on your pipes and drainage system without needing to pick up damp and unpleasant debris that has been collected. Plumbers will find this makes the whole process quicker and simpler!
If you have a large family, they are probably flushing away a lot of hair, food, grease, and soap scum from their daily drains- which could clog them over time. A routine drain cleaning could help keep this problem in check and ensure safe plumbing for all.
Under warmer temperatures, clogged drain lines can become breeding grounds for bacteria and foul odors. Scheduling drain cleaning at the beginning of summer will prevent these issues from worsening and save money and stress later.
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