We are closed on Sundays! As a company, we value time spent with family and with our church communities 
How You Can Keep Your Pipes Healthy This Spring
Spring is a beautiful time of year filled with a variety of flowers and other wildlife. Spring is also known to be the start of what is often called "the rainy season," meaning that you can expect heavy rains all season long. While it is true that April showers may bring May flowers to decorate your yard and home, those same showers can also collect in your yard and cause your outdoor plumbing to rust faster.
If you've never considered how rain affects your plumbing, you're not alone. It's not a connection that is commonly made. Let's take a look now at how rain can affect your plumbing, and how regular plumbing inspections can help you avoid a plumbing disaster this spring.
Rain & Broken Pipes
The first negative impact rain can have on your plumbing is that it can cause the ground around your pipes to shift. Ever heard of a landslide?
This exact phenomenon causes that deadly natural disaster. Heavy rains cause the soil to become saturated, making it soft. When the earth becomes soft, it may shift or slide out of place.
On a larger scale, this can cause a devastating landslide. On a more personal level, shifting earth can cause a change in the pressure in your underground pipes, which can cause the pipes to break. If this happens under your home, you can find yourself dealing with a slab leak, which can be quite costly to repair.
Maintaining Your Sewer System
Beyond the threat that rain poses to the pressure in your pipes, heavy rains can also lead to an unsanitary sewer backup in your home if you're not careful.
You see, there is only so much water that your sewer pipes can hold. When it rains excessively, if your sewer pipes are not draining properly, the rain can flood your sewer pipes, causing the contents of the pipes to get pushed back into your home.
This can cause unsanitary raw sewage to back up through your toilets, as well as floor, sink, and shower drains. Aside from creating a mess in your home that may require professional cleanup, backups like these can lead to infection and other health risks.
Schedule Regular Plumbing Inspections
The best way to avoid plumbing issues related to heavy rainfall is to have your pipes inspected early in the season to make sure they will be able to withstand the pressure of shifting earth, and the volume of water that will fall over the next few months.
So, while the April showers may threaten your outdoor plumbing, they can also bring some beautiful flowers to brighten up your yard this spring! As long as you remember to replace old pipes, maintain your sewers properly, and have your plumbing inspected on an annual basis, there’s no need to dread the rain this season.
Do you have a story about dealing with the effects of the rain in the spring? Share it in the comments below! And here’s some good news for you- A & A Plumbing can help you keep your outdoor plumbing in the best condition. Just give us a call at (210) 566-2665 to speak with a plumbing contractor in San Antonio today!
Get your irrigation system ready to go for the coming season by doing a thorough inspection. Look at all the valves to make sure that they are functioning well.
Over the fall and winter, there is generally more wind, which means that more leaves and other debris start flying around.
Are your faucets leaking? Place your thumb over the spigot, so it is blocked. Turn the faucet on.
This is a good a time as any to make sure that your hoses survived the winter intact-literally.
