When it comes to your household plumbing system, what characteristic do you think is most impactful? Is it the presence or absence of routine maintenance, like flushing your water heater and cleaning your drains? Is it the quality of the various plumbing fixtures installed, whether that be the water heater, faucets or anything else? Or is it even the manner in which you utilize the various components, such as monitoring what goes down the drain and how much hot water is being used?
Truth be told, there are a number of different factors that impact our plumbing systems. Some of them we’re able to control and keep functioning properly, while others are more unpredictable. In any case, the best piece of advice for homeowners is to be aware of the best practices for maintaining your plumbing system and work with reputable contractors on any repairs/replacements.
With that introduction in-place, one factor that can certainly wreak havoc on your plumbing system is the weather. There’s no doubt that mother nature can throw some curveballs our way and it’s important to know how this can impact your plumbing, as well as what you can do to limit the damage. On today’s blog, we’ll walk through a few of the seasons and discuss how these can create plumbing headaches!
Winter Weather
Being that we’re currently in February, there’s no doubt that we are still in the midst of winter weather. After all, does anyone remember the arctic blast that hit Kansas City in February of 2021? As a plumbing company, we certainly had our hands full with frozen pipes at that time! When it comes to winter weather, you’re going to want to properly prepare your system before the cold weather strikes and continue to follow proper procedures as the winter carries on.
Frozen Pipes – As you can probably guess, the most common plumbing problem caused by winter weather is frozen pipes. Simply put, as water freezes, it expands. When this happens inside your pipes, it puts increased pressure on the pipes themselves, and in the process, also creates blockages/clogs inside the pipes. As the pressure continues to escalate, it will eventually result in your pipes bursting. Not too fun of a time for homeowners! There are numerous ways to help limit the odds of this occurring and chances are you’ve heard of some of these in the past. Keeping the heat on, opening cabinet doors under the sink, and letting your faucets drip are a few of the more popular ones.
Water Heaters – Another popular service for plumbers during the winter months is in regards to the water heater. We’ve mentioned it countless times before on prior blog posts, but there’s no denying that the water heater is an essential part of your household plumbing system. This is especially true during the colder months. Unfortunately, it also typically has to work harder during the winter too, thus increasing the importance of performing routine maintenance. The most obvious maintenance task involves an annual flush of the sediment built up at the bottom of the tank. However, there are a couple other items you can implement during the winter months to ensure it’s operating properly and efficiently. Insulate the piping to the heater, as well as consider using a water heater blanket. As a side note, remember that traditional storage tank water heaters generally last around 12 years. If your heater is older than that and already showing signs of deterioration, it may be wise to get it replaced.
For a complete list of our favorite tips for preparing your plumbing system for the winter season, be sure to check out our prior blog post HERE.
Heavy Rainfall
Just as the Kansas City area is no stranger to harsh winters, we also can get our fair share of rainy days as well. With that in mind, how can heavy rainfall impact one’s plumbing system?
Water Damage – While water damage is certainly a rather broad term, when it comes to heavy rainfall, it is worth mentioning. Let’s start with basement flooding, which tends to be a common occurrence. To prevent this, your most valuable resource is going to be the sump pump. Typically installed in the basement or a crawl space, the sump pump is responsible for pumping any excess water out of the house and away from the foundation. However, it’s extremely important to ensure it is properly working, has a battery backup installed (in case the power happens to go out) and that it is the correct size for your household. Failure to meet all of these guidelines could result in flooding and serious water damage! Even though we covered winter problems above, keep in mind that melting snow can also cause similar troubles. And considering how quickly the weather can change here in Kansas City, it’s not uncommon to have snow one day and drastically different weather the next (resulting in rapid melting of snow)!
Summer Months
While we’ve already covered the two most prevalent weather conditions capable of causing troubles, the summer isn’t free of issues either! During the summer, it’s important to continue to be mindful of potential heavy rains, but there are certainly other problems also worth monitoring.
Garbage Disposal – Throughout the summer months, the kids will be home all day and as such, many of your plumbing fixtures are going to experience increased usage, including the garbage disposal. As a rule of thumb, just remember what your garbage disposal can and can’t handle. Any small food scraps are okay, but anything bigger than that is a no-no and definitely avoid pouring any grease down the drain! Our residential service team generally sees an increased number of clogged garbage disposals and drains, in general, during the summer months, so we wanted to emphasize it here.
Washing Machine – Just as your drains and toilets will be used much more frequently, the same can be said about your washing machine too! Watch out for any leaks in the hoses and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, make sure to get it fixed sooner rather than later!
In the end, you’ll notice summer plumbing problems are more so related to a number of different areas, rather than one sole location. As such, it’s always important to keep an eye on the various components. For instance, if you notice your water bill has gradually been increasing and there’s no obvious reason for this happening, take the time to do some investigative research. Is there an outdoor faucet that could be leaking? How about any in-ground sprinkler systems? Sprinkler systems are obviously a valuable resource during the summer, but they can also be a source of wasted water if a leak were to occur. If you’re interested in learning more about common summer plumbing problems, we covered this topic in-detail in a previous blog post. Click HERE to check it out!
Year-Round Plumbing Services
Having personally been in the plumbing world for a few decades now, I’m well aware of the fact that plumbing problems can occur at any time of the year. It really is something that doesn’t operate on your typical 9-5 schedule. As evidenced throughout this blog though, weather certainly is one of those factors capable of causing problems for your plumbing system. Luckily, by planning ahead, you can definitely help limit the odds of these problems occuring.
Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, our technicians have the experience and knowledge needed to handle just about any residential or commercial plumbing problem you can think of. Whether it be a water heater that’s gone bad, troubleshooting sump pump issues or anything else, we have you covered. If you’re ever interested in requesting a free quote or simply speaking with a member of our team, you’re more than welcome to give us a call at (816) 348-3481. We look forward to helping you with all of your plumbing needs!