Summer Maintenance Tips

Silver faucet with blue green background. Tips for summer plumbing maintenance

Summer Maintenance Tips

5/22/2018

Now that the winter is over, it’s time to check up on your plumbing. Harsh winter months can take a toll on your pipes, causing unprotected pipes to easily freeze, crack, and burst.

Make this summer stress free by checking now for cracks and burst pipes before the damage gets worse.

Check for Leaks

If your home has had pipes freeze and burst over the winter, it’s important to get them fixed immediately. Failing to do so can lead to flooding, water damage, money loss, and even greater damage to your pipes later.
Many leaks are easy to detect as they create visible water damage on walls and ceilings, and flooding in the home.

If no visible signs of leaks are present, you can perform your own analysis to detect hidden burst or leaking pipes.

Use your Water Meter to check for leaks caused by winter freezes

Detect leaks by using your water meter:

  1. Shut off all faucets and running water in the house. All running water needs to be stopped to clearly detect a leak.
  2. In your water meter, you’ll notice a small triangle or spin dial. In the picture shown, this dial is the blue star. This small dial indicates when water is moving in your pipes, so any movement may be a sign of a leak.
  3. Try to find where the leak is by looking for signs of water damage in your yard or in the home.
  4. If you’re still not sure where the leak is coming from, call Mathews Plumbing to have a professional plumber look at it.

Inspect Gutters

Frozen gutters during winter

During the fall and winter months, gutters collect a lot of leaves and debris which clog the drainage system. To make sure spring rains will properly drain, clear all gutters and downspouts of this debris.

Harsh winter freezes and heavy snow piles can cause damage to common roofline gutter systems. After the snow has cleared, make sure to inspect all gutters for any damage from the harsh freezes. Gutter seams and anchors may also be loose or broken, pay especially close attention to these spots.

 

Contact Mathews Plumbing for additional information about burst pipes, hidden leaks, and summer plumbing maintenance. Mathews Plumbing will be able to locate the leak, fix the broken pipe, and prevent any further damage.