The spring weather is heating up, Memorial Day has passed, and school is almost out – summer is just around the corner! Along with all of the fun playing in the sprinklers and barbequing on the back patio, the summer season brings with it a whole list of summer plumbing problems. Here are a few to be aware of this year?

Clogged garbage disposal. Cooking outdoors during the summer is a great way to avoid heating up your kitchen and your home with the oven. However, just because you are not cooking in the kitchen does not mean that you don’t need to be mindful of cleaning up the kitchen, especially how you dispose of food. While it is tempting to simply scrape the dishes into the garbage disposal, rinse them, and then set them in the dishwasher – this is not how to do it! Be thoughtful of the food and other materials that you are putting into the garbage disposal to avoid a clog.

Sprinkler issues. Having a sprinkler system installed on your property makes keeping your lawn watered and health during the hot summer weather a snap. However, when the sprinkler system has issues or breaks down the backlash can be stressful and expensive. Thinks like broken sprinkler heads, leaks, system malfunctions all make having a sprinkler system a pain. Make sure to take care when mowing the lawn that you are not damaging your sprinkler system.

Washing machine breakdowns. During the summer time the kids are out of school and involved in all kinds of summer time activities. This means that the washing machine can take a beating, especially when many of those summer activities involve spending time in areas where debris, sand, and rocks can come home on clothing and eventually land in the washing machine.

As this summer draws closer, be thinking about these common summer time plumbing issues and how you might take steps to prevent them. If you do find yourself faced with any of these plumbing challenges, don’t hesitate to contact a professional plumber for help.