You might be ready to enjoy endless carefree summer days, but plumbing problems don’t care what season it is. While you might not have to worry about frozen pipes bursting during the summer, there are other issues that often appear at this time of year.

Here, we highlight some of the most common summer plumbing repairs and how summer plumbing maintenance can help you avoid issues that need professional attention.

Seasonal Plumbing Issues Local Homeowners Face

Chances are your home’s plumbing system sees more use (and wear and tear) during the summer when the kids are out of school, you have more family gatherings, and you spend more time outdoors and use more water. While anything can go wrong at any time, it’s more likely that you’ll need the following plumbing repairs during summer:

1. Clogged Toilets

Toilet clogs top the list of common summer plumbing repairs since it’s likely your toilets will see more usage during this busy season. The frequent flushes can put more pressure on internal components, and when you have large parties, there’s a greater chance that guests will cause clogs. Not to mention, summer heat and humidity can speed up corrosion and mineral accumulation in the toilet pipes, resulting in clogs and leaks.

2. Sewer Backups

As with toilets, extra usage can cause sewer clogs and backups. Heavy summer rains can also overload the sewer lines and cause a backup into your home. Arrange a professional inspection and sewer line cleaning at the beginning of the summer to ensure the pipes are clear and you won’t have any problems.

3. Washing Machine Troubles

Summer vacation often means more laundry, and your washing machine has to work hard to keep up with all the extra dirty clothes, beach towels, and swimsuits. All this extra wear and tear can weaken the hoses, seals, and hinges, and clogs are always a risk. Keep an eye on the machine and call a plumber for help if you notice excessive vibrations, strange noises, or drainage issues.

4. Slow and Clogged Drains

Slow and clogged drains are common plumbing problems in summer because there’s a greater chance that your family will send things down the drain that don’t belong there. Rinsing off the excess dirt and sand after a day outside, for example, can block the drains. Food waste, fats, grease, oil, and hair can all stick to the pipe walls and cause clogs, so use drain traps to stop them.

5. Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal Problems

Dishwashers and garbage disposal problems frequently require warm weather plumbing repairs, usually due to clogs. Overloading the dishwasher and not adequately scraping food debris off the dirty dishes is the most common cause of dishwasher clogs, while grease and large food waste lead to disposal malfunctions. Only put as many dishes as the washer can handle into any load, scrape food waste into the trash, and never pour grease down the drain.

6. Sump Pump Malfunctions

If you have a sump pump to keep your basement dry, a heavy rainstorm can cause flooding if the device malfunctions. Sump pump malfunctions are common summer plumbing problems, usually due to a lack of maintenance. Allowing dirt and debris to accumulate around the pump and power failures are the most frequent issues, but you can avoid them with maintenance and testing.

7. Sprinkler System Issues

Plumbers often have to respond to problems with sprinkler systems in the summer. Leaks, damaged sprinkler heads, timer malfunctions, and water pressure fluctuations can all affect the lawn irrigation system and potentially damage your home or send water bills skyrocketing. Professional maintenance, including properly winterizing the system at the end of summer, can keep this from happening.

For additional assistance with lawn irrigation, lawn care maintenance, outdoor pest control needs, or other lawn care services we highly recommend our friends over at Groundhogs Lawn Care!

8. Faucet and Pipe Leaks

Leaks can happen any time of year, and summer is no exception. Metal pipes and fittings expand and contract in the heat, and humidity can speed up corrosion and cause leaks.

Proactively addressing these common summer plumbing repairs is the best way to prevent expensive damage. If you hear running water or dripping sounds, notice water stains or moisture around fixtures, or experience a sudden increase in water bills, call a plumber for repairs.

Call Grasshopper Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical for Summer Plumbing Solutions You Can Trust

Watching for plumbing problems and taking care of them quickly is the best way to prevent damage and inconveniences that dampen your summer fun. Turn to the plumbers at Grasshopper Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical in Clifton Park, NY for fast and common summer plumbing repairs. Call (518) 240-9889 to make an appointment.

When a sink or shower drain develops a clog, your first thought might be to reach for a bottle of liquid drain cleaner to break up the blockage and get the water flowing again. However, before you do, you should be aware of the effects of liquid drain cleaners on your plumbing and your health, as you might think twice about this seemingly simple solution.

Many homeowners ask, “Do liquid drain cleaners damage pipes?” when we caution them against picking up a bottle to deal with minor clogs. Damaged pipes are just one of the many liquid drain cleaner concerns, which we’ll explain here.

How Do Liquid Drain Cleaners Work?

To understand the impact of drain cleaners on pipes, it’s important to understand how these products work.

All drain cleaners create heat to break down the blockage in the pipe so water can flow freely. There are three primary types of cleaners:

• Caustic, which contains lye or potash that reacts with aluminum in the water to heat the blockage and speed decomposition.
• Oxidizing, which contains bleach and nitrates that dissolve the clog.
• Acid, which contains high amounts of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid that eat away at the hair, soap scum, and grease that make up the clog.

Although these ingredients can effectively remove some of the pipe blockage, as you might expect, the chemicals contact more than whatever is clogging the pipe. They also touch the walls of the pipes, which begs the question, “Do liquid drain cleaners damage pipes?”

The Risks of Liquid Drain Cleaners

Whether your plumbing pipes are metal or PVC, there is a risk for drain cleaner pipe damage if you use commercially available products to clear clogs. Not only can the caustic chemicals eat away at the pipes, but the excess heat that they create can soften the pipes (especially PVC), putting them at risk for a leak. The longer they remain in contact with the plumbing, the greater the impact of drain cleaners on pipes.

Not only do you create the risk of pipe corrosion from drain cleaners, but the products can react with existing corrosion and cause unexpected issues. For example, the excess heat can crack the joints and seals in the plumbing and cause leaks. Drain cleaners can also damage fixtures like toilets, especially if they are old and already have deterioration or damage.

While drain cleaners can damage your pipes, they also create other risks to your family’s health and well-being, including:

• Unpredictable chemical reactions with chemicals or substances in the pipes can create toxic fumes.
• Environmental damage if the chemicals leach into the groundwater; even the bottle itself contains toxic residue that can harm the environment when it goes into the landfill.
• Physical injuries due to splashback or otherwise coming in contact with the caustic chemicals; in some cases, a chemical reaction when the product contacts the clog can cause the cleaner to blow back from the pipe and cause injury.

Alternatives to Using Drain Cleaners to Eliminate Clogs

Given that the answer to “Do liquid drain cleaners damage pipes?” is “yes,” what can you do to deal with pesky clogs that doesn’t involve as much risk to your plumbing or health?

The easiest and safest way is to use a plunger, which puts additional water pressure on a clog to change its shape so it can flow freely down the pipes. A drain snake or pipe auger is another option for breaking up the clog and removing it.

If these methods don’t work, or you have repeated stubborn clogs, get help from a professional plumber. A professional drain cleaning ensures complete clog removal the first time, without damaging the pipes or putting anyone at risk.

Relying on a plumber instead of a bottle of harmful drain cleaner means not having to deal with bigger, messier, and more expensive plumbing issues in the future. A plumber can also help you figure out what’s causing the repeated clogs and find ways to avoid them.

Call Grasshopper Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical for Help with Clogs and Other Plumbing Concerns

The next time you have a clogged sink and think about picking up a bottle of drain cleaner to clear it, remember that if you were to ask a plumber, “Do liquid drain cleaners damage pipes?” they would say, “Yes.” Unless you want to cause more problems, put the bottle back on the shelf and contact Grasshopper Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical for help instead. Call (518) 545-3271 to request a plumber at any time in the Clifton Park, NY, area.