Summer is here! The kids are out of school. The weather is warm, sunny, and perfect. This isn’t the time of year when most people worry about their plumbing. Instead, you are probably more concerned about making sure your air conditioner can keep family cool and comfortable on the hottest days of the year.
However, summer is a time when serious plumbing problems can occur. Below are some of the most common plumbing mishaps that could take place at your home this season.
1. Backups from sewer lines
Severe storms are common during the summer, and these weather events are notorious for torrential downpours. When a large amount of rainfall occurs in a short amount of time, it can cause the city’s sewer lines to overflow and push water and raw sewage into the lines on your property — and possibly even into your toilet or basement.
Along with precipitation getting into your sewer lines, if you have trees on your property, their roots could grow into the cracks of the line. This may also lead to a backup of raw sewage into your toilet. The reason being – the sewage is obstructed by the roots and can’t flow freely to where it needs to go.
Additionally, excess moisture in the soil exerts significant hydrostatic pressure on your foundation walls. This could eventually cause serious damage to the structural integrity of your family’s home, and a leaky basement.
2. Washing machine wear and tear
When your kids are home for the summer, you may have extra laundry to wash. Trips to the swimming pool or beach and from actively playing outside can lead to a lot of dirty clothes and towels. This may put serious strain on your washing machine and could lead to leaking or broken hoses and valves. If you notice that the hose supplying water to the machine is leaking, stop the cycle immediately before water damages your walls and floor. Don’t forget – you should ALWAYS be home when your washer or dryer are running! If an emergency occurs while you’re away, such as a leaking hose or an overheated dryer, the results could be disastrous.
3. Clogged garbage disposal
At the end of a summer cookout or after your meal has been eaten, don’t discard bones, corn cobs, watermelon rinds, potato peels, grease, napkins, or plastic utensils into the garbage disposal. These materials can’t easily be broken down, and they may cause serious damage to the components of your garbage disposal or result in a clog.
When preparing meals or when disposing of leftover foods from plates, run the water in the sink before and after you use the garbage disposal so that tiny bits of food don’t clog the unit. Also, this can help to prevent foul odors in the sink.
4. Lawn sprinkler issues
If your property has sprinklers to help with keeping the lawn green and lush during the harsh summer, be sure that they aren’t up when you are mowing the grass. Failure to do so could result in damaged or torn (and leaking!) sprinkler heads that need to be replaced.
5. Clogged and overflowing toilets
With bored kids at home during the summer, trouble can brew. Youngsters may flush items that aren’t meant to be handled by your toilet’s drain. When this happens, you may have a clogged and/or overflowing toilet to deal with. You might be able to free the item and prevent any further damage by using a plunger. However, if the object has lodged itself in the drain, you will need the assistance of a professional plumber.
Let us help with your plumbing emergencies!
At American Water Resources, we offer our In-Home Plumbing Emergency Program, which covers repairs to broken internal water pipes, blocked or slow shower drains, clogged laundry drain lines, leaking washing machine valves, burst water pipe joints, clogged sinks, blocked or overflowing toilets, leaking water shut-off valves, and leaking water supply lines. When you need our help, we will find a local, insured contractor within our network promptly to get your home back in working order! Want to learn more? Call us at 855-800-5195.
