Summer in Oklahoma brings heat, humidity, and an increased demand on your home’s plumbing system. Whether you’re running the sprinklers to keep the soil moist in your yard and deal with the July heat, or just dealing with the heavier water usage of a full house, your pipes are working overtime.
Don’t wait until an emergency pops up to ask “Where can I find residential plumbing in Yukon?”, especially during the peak of summer. Stay prepared by making sure you’re one step ahead of potential issues. Take a few hours to inspect your home now to enjoy a worry-free summertime without anxiety about a plumbing breakdown.
Summer Maintenance Checklist
Start by inspecting your outdoor faucets. Oklahoma winters can be deceptive; even mild winter freezes can crack fittings or damage internal washers, and cause issues later on in the year. Turn on your hose bibs and look for spraying at the connection or wet spots on exterior walls.
If a faucet continues to drip after it’s turned off, the washer has likely failed. Replacing it is a minor fix that saves hundreds of gallons of water over the summer!
Next, focus on your irrigation system. Sprinklers can be a major source of summer water waste. Look around for broken sprinkler heads, uneven spray patterns, or any water pooling in your yard, which could indicate a leak in the supply lines.
You might not need the temperature of your water heater set as high as you do during the winter, so lowering it slightly can reduce stress on the unit. Keep an eye on your water heater for signs of mineral buildup, like strange noises while water is heating up. This is common in areas with hard water (like we have here in Yukon!)
We’d also recommend cleaning out your gutters regularly throughout the season. Clogged gutters prevent water from draining away from your foundation, which can cause moisture issues in your basement or crawl space. These moisture issues can eventually lead to expensive structural damage. Keeping gutters clean is much simpler!
Protecting Your Home Before a Vacation
Coming home from a vacation is enough of a bummer; you definitely want to avoid returning home to find a flooded floor or some ruined drywall. Before you head out of town, perform a quick shutdown walkthrough to make sure your home stays dry while you’re away.
First, shut off the main water valve. This is the most effective way to prevent catastrophic water damage. If a pipe bursts while you are away, this stops of the flow of the water into the house, limiting damage to only what is already in the pipes.
After shutting off the main valve, open the highest and lowest faucets in your home to allow the remaining water to drain. (If you live in a one-story house, try turning on the kitchen sink and the exterior hose bib).
Check your water heater. If your unit has a vacation mode, use it! Otherwise, consider turning the unit off or lowering the temperature to conserve energy.
Hoses left attached to spigots keep the fixture under pressure, which increases the risk of a slow leak that could go unnoticed for weeks. Before you go, disconnect your outdoor hoses.
If you have an ice maker, turn it off to prevent the motor from cycling without water.
Why Proactive Maintenance Counts
Most homeowners don’t really think about their pipes until they stop working. A little preventative care goes a very long way! When you search for residential plumbing in Yukon, you’re searching for someone who can care for your home’s most essential infrastructure. Staying on top of basic preventative maintenance will keep your plumbing working as it should through the summer and beyond.
If you find anything during your inspection that doesn’t look right or seems like it’s beyond a simple DIY fix, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a professional evaluation!