For most Australians, summer is the best time of the year as it means summer holidays, backyard barbeques and an extra dose of vitamin D. However, the warmer months of the year can be hard on your plumbing system. In fact, if your plumbing system is not properly prepared for summer, you’re leaving yourself wide open to the risk of costly plumbing emergencies and repairs.
That’s why we have created this list of simple plumbing maintenance tips you can follow to prepare your plumbing system for summer.
Sun City Hot Water & Plumbing are your local plumbers Sunshine Coast & Brisbane North wide. Call us today on 1300 728 122 for all of your plumbing needs.
1) Turn Your Water Heater Down and Refrigerator Up
If you’re planning a family holiday this summer, don’t forget to turn your water heater temperature down, and your refrigerator temperature up. This is a quick way to reduce your energy bill, after all, you’re not going to be needing hot water while you’re away, so why still pay to heat it? Although, before turning your refrigerator down be sure to remove all perishable food such as milk and meats as it’s unlikely that these foods would be edible after your holiday, even if fully refrigerated.
2) Check Your Appliances For Optimal Performance
With kids home for the holidays and backyard barbeques, summer usually means that there are more people around the house than any other time of year. This means that your everyday appliances including dishwashers, washing machines, and garbage disposals will be working on overtime to keep up with the increased demand.
To prepare for summer and avoid a huge energy bill at the end of the season, it is important to check that your appliances are performing at maximum efficiency.
Washing Machine
During the summers, the kids are home from school and the hot Australian climate causes us to change our clothes more frequently. This means that you will be doing more laundry than usual. To prepare your washing machine for the added strain of summer laundry, start by pulling it away from the wall to prevent the hose from kinking.
Next, inspect the hoses for any leaks, cracks or bulges. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it is best to have the washing machine inspected or repaired before summer as the added strain of the season could exacerbate an existing problem causing the washing machine to stop working.
Garbage Disposal
The holiday season is a time for large family gatherings where copious amounts of food is made and consumed. This means that more food scraps will be going down the garbage disposal than usual. This can cause grease and scum to build up within the garbage disposal more quickly than usual. To prevent this from causing a blockage or damage to the garbage disposal it is important to conduct regular maintenance in order to remove any buildups.
Additionally, to prevent clogs, avoid putting string foods such as corn husks down your garbage disposal.
Dishwasher
Similarly to the increase in food going down the garbage disposal, where there is more food, there are more dishes. It is recommended to have your dishwasher service before the holiday season. This will ensure that if there are any issues they can be repaired before more damage is caused that could potentially cause a system breakdown.
It is also important to regularly run a cleaning cycle on your dishwasher to ensure that any soap and scum build-ups, as well as food scraps, are properly removed.
3) Visual Inspection
To prepare for summer, you should also inspect your plumbing system for rust, cracks, and leaks. Your inspection should include outdoor plumbing fixtures, outdoor taps, and sprinklers. Any identified leaks should be repaired as soon as possible as they are likely to be used more in summer causing a greater amount of water to be wasted. Additionally, if you are paying water rates this could greatly increase your bill.
You should also check your gutters for backups as summer storms can cause more leaves and debris to fall into your gutters and drain pipes than usual. This can result in blockages and potential damage to your property if left unchecked.
In summary, your plumbing system will be facing additional strain over the summer period due to frequent use. By performing a few summer maintenance checks and repairs you will be able to greatly reduce the chance of appliances breaking down or costly plumbing emergencies during the summer months.
