Plumbing Tips for the Summer

Plumbing Tips for the Summer

Summer holds a special place in most people’s hearts. It’s a sacred time to be outdoors, take vacations, go swimming, play baseball, ride bikes, visit with friends and do all the fun things we like to do when the weather is nice.

Children are out of school, and there are summer barbecues and gatherings of friends. We host family reunions, graduation parties, wedding celebrations, visits and other occasions. We go on vacation and look forward to all the warm-season fun.

All of the activities mean increased traffic in your home, including many more flushes of the toilet, loads of clothes to wash and dishes to clean. You’re bound to use the hose more in the summer to fill pools, water flowers and sprinkle the lawn. Many people also need to take more showers during the summer months.

Too often, we run around worrying about the meat rub and tablecloth color for our parties and never question whether the home’s utilities are ready for all the extra summer traffic. Plumbing remains as one of the most important of those utilities, because the system of pipes and pumps that brings water to us and sends it away are essential to basic sanitation and nutrition. One unpleasant plumbing problem can cancel out the best food and most beautifully appointed table. Read more

Lead Free Pipes and Plumbing Fixtures

Lead Free Pipes and Plumbing Fixtures Are a Must

Lead can infiltrate a home through various channels, but when it affects the water, the health of the community is at risk. The presence of lead in water immediately draws attention, and for good reason: lead is toxic. Making sure your home has lead free pipes and fixtures is essential to decreasing your exposure to lead.

Why is lead used in pipes and plumbing fixtures?

The use of lead in plumbing dates back to Ancient Rome, where Romans fashioned the world’s first plumbing system out of of lead. Lead is a desirable element for constructing pipes because it is malleable enough to mold into the desired shape but strong enough to prevent “pinhole” water leaks. Lead is also present in the solder that connects copper pipes.

Infrastructures from the 60s, 70s and the 80s, including pipe and plumbing system components, are the main contributors of trace amounts of lead in the water supply today.

Most homes built prior to the 1980 still have lead solder connecting copper pipes. Unless they have upgraded the home piping to a lead free infrastructure, there is a good chance that the fixtures and pipes contain trace amounts of lead. Read more