How Seasonal Changes Affect Your Plumbing

Every October, you’ll find homeowners in areas that experience cold winters making the rounds of their homes, detaching hoses, and shutting off valves that allow water to flow to outside faucets. They check insulation for pipes that run through garages or along the inside of exterior walls. When the forecast includes extreme cold, as in the recent instances of a polar vortex dipping into the Midwest, homeowners may leave faucets dripping slightly all night, to keep water moving through pipes to avoid freezing. The annual ritual of taking steps to prevent frozen pipes doesn’t happen everywhere, and burst pipes are only one symptom of how seasonal changes affect your plumbing. For additional plumbing guidance contact professionals such as plumbers in Irvine.

Temperature

Water expands when it freezes, but pipes expand when they’re hot. Even if the temperature change is gradual, underground pipes that cycle through cold and heat can develop cracks. Soil and debris can leach into the cracks, causing toilet backup and clogs.

Precipitation and Pressure

Pipes get a workout during the summer, with sprinklers, garden hoses, and extra showers placing stress on the water delivery system. High demand for water stresses pipes, making them more susceptible to problems. During times of drought, dry soil may shrink and settle. When the drought breaks and heavy rain replaces burning sun, the rain saturates the soil, increasing soil pressure on buried pipes. This pressure can cause pipes to shift, sag, crack, or even break.

Wind

Although most residential plumbing systems have pipes underground and within walls, high winds from seasonal storms can still affect plumbing, in severe cases, storms may even cause a problem leading to the need of a commercial water heater repair. Most severely, windy storms can knock trees over, uprooting them, and disturbing or even breaking pipes that run close to those root systems. High winds rattle walls and can shake sediment up inside pipes, affecting drainage and pressure.

Spring Growth

When the snow melts or the spring rains clear, a burst of spring growth may find tree roots interfering with or invading underground pipes. Trees will send roots through small cracks in underground pipes in search of water and nutrients. The roots will grow within the pipes, causing backups and further damage to the pipes.

Recently, homeowners in every area of the country have experienced weather extremes with greater frequency than in the past. Have licensed, professional plumbers assess your residential plumbing system before torrential spring rains come or winter’s cold creates the risk of freezing. Local plumbers like Dean’s Plumbing are familiar with how seasonal changes can affect plumbing in your area and will help you take preventative measures to ensure your plumbing system can stand up to the changing seasons.