5 Water System Checks to Make Before Summer Hits

After the cooler winter months are over, the water pipes that run through your house start expanding.  Although strong pipes are relatively resilient to temperature changes, it's important to check your water system before summer arrives.  When that first heat wave hits, you want to be sure your water system is working properly.

Water supply is particularly important during the summer for keeping yourself, your plants, and your garden hydrated.  The last thing you want to be without is a convenient source of water. 

To ensure that your water system is prepared for the summer months, follow these steps:

1.  Check Your Hoses

To make sure a pipe didn't burst in your hose line over the winter, check the hoses in your garage and outside of your home.  If you haven't used them in a while, it's normal to hear a gurgling sound.  However, if water comes out at a trickle – or doesn't come out at all – something may be wrong.  It's important to have this matter resolved immediately, especially if you have a large garden that relies on the hose's water during dry stretches.

2.  Check for Leaks in Your Basement

This part of the house often goes unnoticed and unchecked.  Before the ground starts to really shift with the temperature, it's important to check for cracks in your house's foundation.  If you see a crack that wasn't previously there, take note.  If water isn't coming through it, the matter probably isn't urgent, but should still be addressed.  Do a thorough walkthrough your entire basement.  Remember, this is your house's foundation – it's important that it's dry and protected.

3.  Check Under Your Bathroom and Kitchen Sinks

In addition to checking your basement for water damage, it's also important to check under your sinks.  This is particularly important if the area under your sink isn't used for storage.  If it isn't used for storage of toiletries and such, you probably never look at it.  But it's important to do so now.  Not so much because of the summer heat, but because it's standard maintenance.  Every once in a while, it's good to check there aren't any leaks under your sink.

4.  Check Your Water Heater

Like your sinks, this requires regular maintenance.  You should check it thoroughly at least twice a year – once now and once before winter.  Significant temperature changes tend to have a strange effect on pipes and, even though hot water doesn't seem important in the summer, it's good to fix a plumbing problem sooner than later.

5.  Check Your Toilets

You look at the inside of it every day, so don't worry about its flushing ability.  That's obvious enough.  Rather, look behind your toilet near the base.  Again, this is a regular maintenance check that should be done at least twice a year.  Often, the wax ring that forms a connection between the toilet and the piping gets old and wears away.  If you see a small leak behind your toilet, the wax ring is probably the culprit.  It's good to get this taken care of immediately before the leak worsens.

If you need assistance with anything related to plumbing before the summer months hit, call your premier Atlanta plumbing company today at 770-507-8100.