Most plumbing advice is about winter, but summer puts its own load on a house – heavy storms, sprinkler systems, vacations, and constant outdoor water use. As a licensed plumber, here is the short seasonal checklist I run on my own house every summer. None of it takes long, and each item heads off a common July emergency.
1. Test outdoor spigots and hoses
Turn on each outdoor faucet and put a thumb partly over the opening. If you can stop the flow easily, there may be a pipe leak or a frost-damaged valve inside the wall from winter. Check the hose bibb for drips at the handle, and replace cracked hoses. If a spigot froze and split over winter, now is when you will find it – consider upgrading to frost-free spigots and add a quick-connect while you are there. For the full after-winter walk-through, from reopened outdoor valves to hidden leaks, use the spring plumbing checklist.
2. Inspect washing machine hoses
Summer means more laundry. Rubber washing-machine hoses are one of the top causes of catastrophic home water damage when they burst. Look for bulges, cracks, or rust at the connections, and if they are the original rubber lines, swap them for braided stainless. It is a five-minute job that prevents a flooded laundry room.
3. Test your sump pump before storm season
Summer storms are when a dead sump pump bites. Pour a bucket of water into the pit and confirm the pump kicks on, pumps out, and shuts off. If it does not, fix it now, not during the next downpour – see sump pump not working and consider a reliable replacement if yours is aging.
4. Flush your water heater
Sediment builds up over the year and robs efficiency. Summer, when you need less hot water, is a convenient time to drain a few gallons or do a full flush. Walk through it in how to flush a water heater.
5. Know your main shut-off before vacation
Before you leave for any trip, find and test your main water shut-off – and consider turning it off entirely while you are away so a failed line cannot flood the house for a week. If you have never located it, read how to shut off your water main.
6. Watch for slow drains and sewer odors
Tree roots grow fastest in summer and target sewer lines. If drains are slowing across the house or you catch a sewer smell outside, get ahead of it before it becomes a backup. See sewer smell in the house.
7. The winter counterpart
When fall comes, run the other half of this routine – draining spigots, protecting pipes, and prepping for freezes – in the winterize plumbing checklist.
If you also maintain a swimming pool, add its separate filtration plan to the seasonal list. Our sand versus cartridge pool-filter guide compares backwashing with element rinsing, pressure-baseline checks and the space needed for safe professional servicing.
Frequently asked questions
What plumbing maintenance should I do in summer?
Focus on the things summer stresses: test outdoor spigots and replace cracked hoses, inspect or upgrade washing-machine hoses, test your sump pump before storm season, flush the water heater, and locate your main shut-off before any vacation. Each takes a few minutes and prevents the most common warm-weather failures.
Why test my sump pump in summer?
Because summer storms are exactly when it has to work, and a pump that sat idle all spring can fail when you need it. Pour a bucket of water into the pit and confirm it switches on, pumps out, and shuts off. Finding a dead pump on a dry afternoon is far better than during a flooding basement.
Should I shut off my water when I go on vacation?
It is one of the cheapest forms of insurance. A burst supply line or failed water-heater fitting can flood a house for days while you are gone. Turning off the main before a trip – or at least the valves to the washing machine and water heater – means a failure cannot keep dumping water in your absence.
Related: outdoor faucet leaking.