With the arrival of summer, outside temperatures go up, the kids are home from school, and vacations and adventures are plenty. All of these things lead to increase water usage in homes which can take a toll on your plumbing. Several plumbing problems are more common during the summer than other times of the year. With a little knowledge, you can prevent problems from arising and quickly take care of them if they do.

Clogged toilets are a primary concern for plumbing during the summer. With the children at home, household toilets see much heavier use than they do during the school year. Increased toilet usage quickly leads to clogs. Preventing clogs is a simple as teaching children to use only a necessary amount of toilet paper and that nothing is flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be. When clogs do occur, a simple household plunger is often enough to clear them, if not you may need to enlist the help of a plumber.

Toilets aren’t the only place that clogs are likely to occur. Garbage disposals are also at increased risk for clogs during the summer months. Again, because the kids are home, garbage disposals see more use. Most disposal clogs occur because of improper usage. Too often, garbage disposals are treated like blenders, in reality there, are many things that shouldn’t be put down the drain. Fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, rice, pasta, bones, grease, and harsh chemicals should all be tossed out or composted. Even if a disposal can break those things down, they typically cause clogs in kitchen pipes.

Most of the adventures had by you and your children this summer will be outdoors. Days spent swimming, camping and playing sports all lead to dirty laundry. Chlorine, mud, dirt and grass stains all start to cover children’s clothes the moment they’re out of school. Keeping kids’ clothes clean means increased demand for washing machines. As washing machines are run more frequently, they become subject to quicker wear and tear which often leads to leaks.

This summer you can prevent plumbing problems by ensuring that your sinks, washing machines and toilets are all used appropriately. Hiring a plumber to inspect your pipes is a great way to find and prevent any potential problems. Even with the best prevention, plumbing problems still occur; hiring a plumber is the easiest way to take care of your plumbing problems.