As the summer season starts, homeowners tend to focus on making sure that their air conditioning system is running properly. Plumbing maintenance rarely comes to mind. However, since you use more water during warm weather—for drinking, taking more frequent showers, and doing more laundry—the risk of encountering plumbing problems increases.

Here are some plumbing tips to help you out during summer:

• Protect Your Drain: Summer is the perfect season for cookouts and get-togethers. This leads to more dishwashing and disposal of leftovers. Be extra careful with what you throw down your kitchen drain. Make sure large pieces of food, grease, and oil don’t end up down the pipes as they may cause blockages and backups.

• Control the Water Heater: Going on a beach trip or an out-of-the-country getaway for several days? It’s the best time to save money and energy. If you own a conventional storage-type water heater, shut it off. Standard natural gas and power-vented water heaters have “vacation” modes. If you have an electric water heater, set it to the lowest temperature or turn off the power supply.  

• Perform Washer Maintenance: Summertime can increase your laundry load, especially since children are out of school. More dirty clothes could mean more wash cycles, and this can put additional stress on your washing machine. Always inspect the rubber hoses because they are only meant to last three years. If a problem arises, call for help immediately.

• Check for Leaking Pipes: When it comes to leaks, the sooner they are detected, the easier they are to fix. Summer is the proper time to check for small holes in your pipes that could have formed during and after the winter season. Tree roots that tend to extend during warmer weather could also break through your pipes.

Have a professional plumber do an annual maintenance inspection to make sure your plumbing system is in top condition. James Carboni Plumbing & Heating in North Franklin, CT, can provide the quality service you need. Backed by years of experience, they specialize in a variety of residential and commercial plumbing repair and installation services. Call them today at (860) 642-7847 or visit their website for more information.