The winter months are among the busiest for plumbers for several reasons. That’s why it’s ideal for property owners to schedule inspections, maintenance and repair work before the cold season starts. Taking a proactive approach to your sewer and septic system needs can help you avoid costly and disruptive issues that can emerge during the winter.
1. Manage and Fix Leaks
The potential for a ground freeze puts your buried pipes and sewer lines in serious jeopardy if they aren’t in good condition. Even a tiny leak or hairline crack can lead to a major burst if the water freezes in or around the pipe. The damage might not become obvious right away, but a few cycles of freezing and thawing can turn a fracture into a fissure. That’s why it’s essential to ensure complete watertightness in all of your lines, especially those that are exposed to frigid outdoor temperatures.
2. Avoid Difficult Excavation
The colder the ground, the harder it is to access buried pipes. It’s even worse if you live in an area that can see repeated or prolonged periods of subfreezing temperatures. Avoiding difficult excavation that will likely take longer and require more resources is one of the best reasons to schedule inspections ahead of winter. Winter months have shorter days and see higher demand for plumbing services, which can also make getting prompt service more difficult for many people.
3. Check for Septic System Problems
Property owners with septic systems have extra reasons to care about proactive sewer line management. Problems with the septic tank or leach field infrastructure are only made worse by the risk of frost. Poor drainage means more liquid trapped in the lines, which increases the risk of major damage from a flash or prolonged freeze.
4. Ensure Flow Capacity
People typically spend a lot more time in their homes and indoors in general during the winter. Family gatherings over the holidays and the return of students for winter break also means greater demand on the local plumbing system for a big part of the winter. A proactive inspection is the only way to ensure that your system is running at full capacity and ready to efficiently handle an increased workload.
Take Charge of Your Plumbing
Many people don’t think about their plumbing system or its needs until something major goes wrong. However, it’s more cost-effective and much less stressful to focus on preventing issues rather than solving them after they develop. If you’re a homeowner in Durham, NC, contact Harmon Plumbing Services for a complete professional inspection and maintenance service before the worst winter weather sets in.