Most people tend to think that plumbing-related problems mostly occur during the colder months. While it’s true that broken boilers and frozen pipes tend to be winter issues, it’s absolutely not the case that you’ll be totally safe from plumbing woes during summer.

Below, we outline some of the main common summer plumbing issues to look out for, so that you can hopefully spot them in your kitchen and bathroom before they escalate into something more serious.

Increased water use straining pipes

During the summer months, there’s often a lot more water consumption overall. People take more showers, and also end up watering their gardens a lot more. Couple that with paddling pools and washing more sweaty clothes, and the water infrastructure in most homes can really see a lot more strain.

This extra pressure can tip already strained connections, water pumps and faucets over the edge. If you notice any drips or leaks, it’s important to get someone from a company like my go-to Able Plumbers to check them out as soon as possible to prevent anything more serious from occurring.

Blocked drains are a common summer plumbing issue

With summer storms in particular, and sudden, torrential downpours, it’s not uncommon for drains to become overwhelmed, sometimes resulting in minor flooding events in ground floor spaces and basements.

With blocked drains outside the property, you’ll sometimes have to call a specialist drain cleaning company. If the drainpipes on your roof are clogged up with leaves, and this is resulting in issues or leaks, you’ll need to get another kind of service that can safely access these kinds of precarious areas.

External issues

During the summer, properties with any kind of garden or outdoor space will likely see a big spike in hose and outdoor tap usage. This is especially the case during heatwaves, except when a hosepipe ban is in place, of course. This causes a common summer plumbing issue.

After half a year or more of hardly being used at all, it’s not uncommon for this sudden spike in usage to result in or at least uncover a whole host of issues. It could be that a fitting just needs tightening, but you might also have to replace some old pipes or connectors.

Foundational shifts

During extended hot, dry spells, certain ground types can actually start to shrink and shift slightly, affecting the foundations beneath a lot of homes in the UK. On clay in particular, this can even result in excessive stress being placed on underground pipework, sometimes creating leaks.

If you have an unexpectedly high water bill during or after one of these hot spells, but there are no clear leaks in your property, this could be the culprit. You can use the water meter to do a test to see whether there’s a leak outside the property, and you may also need to call a plumber in.

If you can spot and work on any of these kinds of common summer plumbing issues early on, you can typically prevent any serious damage from occurring to your home. Make sure that you have a good plumber saved in your contacts already, so that you know who to call should you need assistance.

Main Images – Canva Pro