Summer is the ideal season for activities we don’t get to enjoy year-round. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year that can wreak havoc on your home’s plumbing. From having family stay for an extended period of time, to day trips to the beach, how confident are you in your plumbing system’s ability to handle so much fun?
There’s nothing worse than having your summer plans interrupted by the need for a plumbing repair such as a backed-up kitchen sink, a broken garbage disposal, or a clogged shower. Let’s go over some common summer activities that can lead to major plumbing issues and what you can do to avoid them.
Camping, Hiking, and Beach Trips
Summer is the ideal time to get out and about in the great outdoors. Trips to the beach to escape the summer heat or getting away for the weekend on a camping trip are some fun summertime activities.
Unfortunately, a lot of the great outdoors is brought back home in the form of sand, dirt, and mud. You may be tempted to rinse sandy flip-flops, mud-encrusted hiking boots, beach equipment, and camping gear in your home’s tub or shower. However, we don’t recommend it.
Although those grains of sand and mud may seem like they’re small, they can actually cause big problems with your home’s plumbing. The issue is that your home’s bathroom plumbing likely already has some small buildup from soap scum, hair, and dirt.
These small buildups can attract the mud from your outdoor adventures and lead to bigger clogs or even worse, slow-moving drains or complete drain backups. Instead of using the bathroom to clean up after outdoor excursions, rinse them off outside using a garden hose.
Barbecues
Summer is the ideal time of year for inviting friends and family to a barbecue or outdoor party. It’s also the time of year when you consume specific types of foods that you don’t usually eat at other times of the year. Watermelon rinds, corn cobs, cherry pits, potato peels, and bones should go in the garbage–not down the kitchen sink–to avoid damage to your disposal or a major kitchen sink backup.
A Bigger Household
With school out for the summer and vacation plans, this is the time of year when your home might be experiencing a surge of demands on your plumbing. Whether it’s visiting family members or the kids being home from school, the sheer increase in the number of people in your home can put extra strain on your home’s plumbing system.
All this extra usage can exacerbate existing problems that you didn’t know you had. For example, that slow drain in the shower might become a complete backup with increased usage. A guest who flushes something that shouldn’t be flushed could cause a toilet clog. Be on the lookout for potential leaks, slow-flowing drains, or not enough hot water to meet the demand.
No one should ever have to go without reliable, working plumbing in their home. From water leaks to backed-up drains, you can rely on HM Plumbing for all your home’s plumbing needs.
Contact HM Plumbing today to discuss plumbing services in Atlanta, GA. Serving with Integrity.