Summer is the perfect time to fly your red, white, and blue while cooking up all-American cheeseburgers and hot dogs. However, a serious summer drainage problem can halt this sunny dream in its tracks.
Learn about the most common signs of drainage problems in the summer -- and how to avoid them -- thanks to the plumbing professionals at Warner Service in Frederick, Maryland:
Indoor Flooding. April showers brings May (June, July, and August) flowers. Summertime brings serious rain, which can lead to indoor flooding, if you’re not prepared. Usually your home's basement is the first place to look for this plumbing problem. While finding the source is simple, understanding the magnitude of the drainage problem is more difficult.
For example, a minor leak can cause current flooding, but if left untouched, it could result in a pipe bursting.
Damaged or old appliances also lead to a flood inside your home. Water heaters typically have this issue as they age, and the clock could run out this summer. If you notice water accumulation around the water heater's base, it's a sign of a damaged tank, pressure relief valve malfunction, or corrosion.
Like most home appliances, routine plumbing maintenance is the best way to avoid this issue.
Serious summer rain can also cause overflowing gutters. During the next thunderstorm, see how well your home's gutter system sends water away from the foundation. Clogged gutters significantly raise the chance of an indoor flood.
Regularly cleaning the gutters protects your home's foundation and decreases the amount of pooled water, which easily seep into cracks and cause extensive damage.
Strange Odor. Summertime brings the stench of insect spray, sweat, and other seasonal odors. However, another big culprit of bad smells in the summer is a dry p-trap due to the humidity in the air.
The p-trap is the part of the drain pipe that curves and separates the drain from sewer gases. If the p-trap is dry, an awful sewer stench comes from the drains. To solve this plumbing problem, run the faucet to moisten the p-trap.
If you still have sickening smells coming from the drain, the venting pipe could be clogged, causing the same stench.
The venting pipe redirects sewer gases from your home by filtering them to the roof to be released. If this pipe is clogged, the gases are trapped in your home. Call a plumbing professional to clear out the pipe.
High Water Bill. Nothing is worse than opening a bill that's way higher than you were expecting. Some culprits for an increased water bill during the summer include a leaky appliance, increased water usage from the backyard or in-ground pool and outdoor plants, and a broken water pipe.
No matter the cause, getting to the root of the plumbing problem is important to bring the bill back down. While leaks and continuously run appliances are noticeable causes, a clog or break is harder to diagnose.
If you don’t spot any obvious signs of inefficient water usage in your home, call a plumbing professional immediately. If you don't, the unidentifiable cause will continue to cause high bills or a significantly worse problem.
It’s important to remember that all of these plumbing problems can be solved by maintaining your residential plumbing year-round.