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Most Atlanta homeowners know to winterize their plumbing — turn off outdoor spigots, protect exposed pipes during the occasional hard freeze. But summer creates its own set of plumbing stresses that get far less attention. Between the heat, increased water use, and the wear that comes from months of heavy outdoor irrigation, summer is when several common plumbing issues peak.
A few maintenance steps in late April or early May can prevent problems that tend to surface in July and August, when plumbers are busiest and getting service scheduled takes longer.
Check Your Outdoor Hose Bibs and Irrigation System
Outdoor faucets and irrigation systems sit dormant through winter and take a beating if there was any freezing weather. Before you start regularly using them in summer, do a quick check:
- Turn on each outdoor hose bib and check for leaks at the connection point and along the visible pipe stub-out from the house
- Check for any sign of a slow drip when the faucet is fully closed — a dripping hose bib wastes hundreds of gallons over a summer and indicates a worn washer or packing
- If you have an irrigation system, run each zone for a few minutes and walk the zones — look for broken heads, lateral leaks, or heads that aren’t rotating or popping up correctly
Repairing an outdoor faucet washer or a broken irrigation head in May is simple. Discovering a major irrigation leak in late July when your water bill comes in is much more frustrating.
Flush Your Water Heater
Sediment accumulates at the bottom of traditional tank water heaters year-round, but summer is a practical time to flush the tank before heavy hot water demand picks up. Sediment buildup insulates the heating element from the water, forces the heater to work harder, reduces efficiency, and accelerates corrosion of the tank liner.
Flushing is a DIY-manageable task: connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the base of the tank, route it to a floor drain or outside, open the valve for a few minutes until the water runs clear. If you’ve never flushed your water heater and it’s been in service for five or more years, expect to see significant sediment. Annual flushing after that keeps it manageable.
Test Your Washing Machine Supply Lines
Summer in Atlanta often means more laundry — sports uniforms, swimwear, beach towels, workout clothes. Washing machines run harder during summer, and the supply hoses that feed them are a known failure point. Standard rubber hoses degrade over time and can fail suddenly, causing significant flooding.
Check the hoses behind your washing machine: look for any bulging, cracking, or corrosion at the fittings. If your washing machine hoses are original to the machine and more than five years old, replacement with braided stainless steel hoses ($20 to $30 for a pair) is straightforward insurance.
Inspect Your Garbage Disposal
Summer grilling and entertaining means more kitchen use — more scraps going through the disposal, more ice, more citrus rinds, more food prep waste. Before peak season, run the disposal with plenty of cold water and check under the sink for any sign of moisture or staining at the connections. A slow drip from the disposal drain fitting or supply line under the sink tends to get worse under heavy use.
Keep the disposal clean with occasional ice cubes (grinding ice cleans the grinding components) and avoid putting fibrous waste, large fruit pits, or hard bones through it.
Check Under-Sink and Bathroom Connections
A quick visual check under every sink in the home takes about five minutes. Look for:
- Any staining, mineral deposits, or discoloration on the cabinet floor — signs of a slow drip that’s been happening unnoticed
- Supply line condition — are they braided stainless or older chrome/rubber? Old supply lines are a common leak source
- P-trap connections — make sure all fittings are snug
Know Where Your Main Shutoff Is
This isn’t a maintenance task but it’s worth doing every spring: confirm that every adult in the household knows where the main water shutoff valve is and that it operates freely. In Atlanta homes, it’s usually at the front of the house where the supply line enters — sometimes in a crawlspace, sometimes in a utility area, sometimes in a basement.
A shutoff valve that hasn’t been operated in years can seize. Turn it off and on once to confirm it operates. If it’s stiff or leaking, that’s worth addressing before you need it in an emergency.
Watch for Slab Leak Signs as Ground Temperatures Rise
Atlanta has a significant number of slab-on-grade homes, particularly in neighborhoods built from the 1960s through the 1990s. As ground temperatures and moisture levels change through spring, slab leaks — leaks in supply lines running through or under the concrete foundation — can become more active. Signs include warm or wet spots on the floor, unexplained increases in the water bill, or the sound of running water when all fixtures are off.
Slab leaks require professional diagnosis and repair. If you notice any of these signs, address them before they develop into foundation or structural damage.
Fix and Flow Is Here for Atlanta Summer Plumbing
We handle everything from a simple hose bib repair to slab leak diagnosis to full water heater replacement. Summer is our busy season, so scheduling a plumbing inspection or a specific repair early in the season gets you ahead of the rush. Call (404) 800-FLOW or book online anytime.