Summer arrives with extended daylight hours, a chance to enjoy outdoor social events, and increased use of Water throughout san diego. Most homeowners will concentrate on their landscapes, air-conditioned homes, and vacation plans; however, during the hotter months, an individual’s plumbing system receives additional demands. By simply following several easy-to-apply summer plumbing tips, homeowners can avoid future repair expenses, cut-down on wasted Water, and assist in maintaining efficient operation of their plumbing systems all summer long.

As a leader in providing preventative maintenance services and professional plumbing inspections to homeowners across san diego, AC Plumbing Construction has helped many homeowners to safeguard their plumbing systems. The following is a list of the top summer plumbing tips that every homeowner needs to be aware of.

What makes summer hard on your plumbing system?

In general, the typical home utilizes more showerheads and/or hand-shower units during the warmer months; more loads in your clothes washer; greater irrigation use (to grow healthier lawns); and more usage of kitchen appliances during family gatherings and barbeques. Each of these daily uses places additional strain on the various components within your home’s plumbing system including pipes, drains, Water heaters, and outdoor plumbing fixtures.

During California’s long warm weather seasons, homeowners also tend to irrigate their gardens more frequently, which increases the importance of checking your irrigation systems and outdoor hose bibs for leaks. When left unchecked, a single leak could potentially waste thousands of gallons of Water per month while also causing an increase in your monthly utility bill.

Scheduling regular maintenance during the summer months will allow your plumber to identify potential minor plumbing issues before they evolve into major plumbing emergencies.

Check outdoor hose bibs for leaks

When it comes to One of the easier summer plumbing tips to follow, it involves inspecting your outside hose bibs.

During the warmer months, garden hoses are used more frequently by homeowners to Water their plants, wash their cars, fill up their swimming pool(s), or clean their patio/deck areas. Inevitably, the connection points where the hose connects to the hose bib will loosen over time. Additionally, the rubber washers that seal the connection point will eventually deteriorate. With time, small leaks develop.

Check each outdoor faucet for:

Drip-drip-drip…Water drips from the faucet after you disconnect the hose.
Any cracks developing in the hose connections themselves.
Water pooling near the base of the foundation of your house.
Rusting or corroding of either the hose bib itself or the surrounding area.

Repairing a worn-out washer or fixing a leaking hose bib early on will both save you money due to reduced Water damage and unnecessary Water consumption.

Inspect Sprinklers and Irrigation Lines

Your irrigation system is likely working harder than almost any other part of your plumbing system during the summer months.

While your sprinkler system is running, take a walk through your yard to check for:

Broken sprinkler heads.
Spray heads that spray Water onto your sidewalk/driveway instead of on your lawn/flowers.
Areas in your lawn that are wetter than others.
Oddly shaped patches in your lawn (uneven watering).
Leaks from irrigation valves.

Even a relatively small underground irrigation leak can cause significant increases in Water usage. A well-designed irrigation system conserves Water and helps keep your lawn healthy during San Diego’s hot summer months!

Be aware of sluggish drains & bad odors

Entertaining guests outdoors during the warmer months means using your kitchen more often; therefore, you’ll be utilizing your kitchen and bathroom plumbing more often too.

Here are common causes for sluggish drains:

Greasy buildup inside your kitchen drain pipes.
Accumulated food particles inside your kitchen drain pipes.
Buildup of soap scum/detergent inside your shower/bathtub drains.
Hair buildup inside your shower/bathtub drains.
Blockages forming inside a portion of a pipe.

Don’t pour grease or cooking oils down your Kitchen Drains-even though they appear like liquids. Grease solidifies as it cools inside your piping and contributes to severe clog formation.

If you notice recurring Slow drains or bad smells coming from your drains, call us for professional drain cleaning services. We can provide you with professional drain cleaning services prior to a complete blockage occurring.

Flush your Water heater once per year

Homeowners commonly forget about Water heater maintenance until they suddenly lose access to hot Water.

Inside the Water heater tank there forms sediment as time passes. Sediment builds-up pressure on the Water heater forcing it to work harder. Sediment build-ups also decrease overall efficiency and shorten the lifespan of the Water heater.

Flushing your Water heater Annually will help improve its efficiency, remove unwanted mineral deposits from forming inside the tank, lower your energy bills by lowering how much heat energy it takes to produce hot Water, extend the lifespan of your equipment by years, and maintain steady hot Water temperatures throughout the day.

Maintenance becomes increasingly important during the summer months as households generally have higher levels of indoor Water usage.

Dispose of cooking grease and food waste properly in your Kitchen Drains

Family get-togethers outdoors create additional cleanup duties for kitchens than normal.

Garbage disposals are very useful tools; however, they were never meant for everyone. Some items should never enter your Kitchen Drains. They include:

Cooking greases.
Coffee grounds.
Starchy foods (pasta/rice).
Egg shells.
Vegetables containing fibers.
Animal Bones.

Some of these products create clogged drains while others require professional hydro jetting or drain cleaning.

Utilizing sink strainers and properly disposing of food waste will aid in protecting your entire plumbing system this year.

Recognize warning Signs of hidden leaks

Most hidden leaks take time to develop and usually go unnoticed for weeks or possibly even months before being detected.

Be on the lookout for the following warning Signs:

Increased Water bills compared to previous months.
Bad odor emanating from Mold/mildew.
Visible wet stains on walls/ceilings.
Reduced Water pressure from any fixture/faucet.
Running sounds from faucets/fixtures when they’re turned off.

Promptly identifying hidden leaks saves you from extensive structural damage and prevents costly repairs. Should you see any of these Signs, please contact us immediately to arrange for a professional plumbing inspection.

Prevent minor issues from becoming major repair expenses

Numerous plumbing emergencies start as seemingly minor issues with respect to maintenance.

Small leaks around outdoor faucets; Slow-moving drains; or small leaks around irrigation lines are examples of issues that could easily be ignored now; however, delaying repairs usually leads to bigger problems later. Regular maintenance enables plumbers to detect worn parts before failure occurs allowing homeowners to plan financially for those repairs rather than dealing with unexpected emergency situations.

Plumbing professionals perform comprehensive inspections ensuring safe operation and maximum efficiency of a homeowner’s entire Water supply system; all associated drainage systems; all fixtures (faucets/showerheads/toilets) and hot-Water heaters throughout the summer months.

Choose AC Plumbing Construction for all your summer plumbing service needs

By implementing these summer plumbing tips, you can help protect your home; minimize unnecessary Water consumption; and optimize performance of your plumbing system during San Diego’s peak entertainment season. Although most maintenance jobs are suitable for homeowners to accomplish themselves, some jobs require the expertise and licensure of a qualified plumber.

For over twenty-five years AC Plumbing Construction has been serving families throughout san diego county with quality plumbing service solutions such as: residential plumbing service inspections; detecting leaks; cleaning clogged drains; servicing/repairing/replace existing residential Water heaters; repair/replace damaged residential pipes; and utilizing advanced hydro-jetting techniques for clearing clogged sewers & storm drains. Our expert staff is here to serve you all summer long.