Your plumbing takes a real beating during a Houston summer.
By late August, your drains have already spent months handling backyard cookouts, extra loads of laundry, more showers, kids home from school, and plenty of grease, soap, and food debris that have found their way into the plumbing system.
Most homeowners don’t think much about their drains until water stops going where it’s supposed to.
The good news?
You can often catch small problems before they become expensive plumbing emergencies.
Think of this as a ten-minute end-of-summer checkup for your home’s drains. A few simple inspections now could help you avoid clogged drains, sewer backups, and unexpected plumbing repairs later in the year.
Start With Your Kitchen Sink
Your kitchen sink probably works harder during the summer than any other drain in your home.
Family cookouts, holiday gatherings, and extra meals at home usually mean more dishes, more cooking, and unfortunately, more grease. Even if you’ve never poured bacon grease directly down the drain, small amounts of cooking oil, butter, sauces, and food residue gradually coat the inside of your pipes.
That sticky layer becomes the perfect place for everything else to collect.
If your kitchen sink has been draining more slowly than it did earlier this summer, don’t ignore it.
Slow drainage is your plumbing’s way of asking for attention before the drain becomes completely blocked.
Check Every Drain in the House
Walk through your home and use every sink, shower, bathtub, and toilet.
Pay attention to anything that seems different.
Does one bathroom sink drain slower than the others? Does the shower hold water around your feet? Does the washing machine cause another drain to gurgle?
One slow drain may simply be a localized clog.
Several slow drains at once can indicate a larger problem developing in your home’s drain or sewer system.
Don’t Ignore Strange Sounds
Healthy plumbing is surprisingly quiet.
If you begin hearing gurgling sounds after flushing a toilet or running a sink, your plumbing may be struggling to move air and water through the drainage system properly.
Those sounds often appear before more obvious problems, such as backups or overflowing fixtures.
They’re worth paying attention to.
Take a Look at Your Outdoor Cleanout
If your home has an accessible sewer cleanout, take a quick look around it.
Is there standing water around the cleanout? Does your yard have areas of persistently soggy soil? Is there a patch of grass that’s suddenly greener than everything around it? Can you smell any obvious sewer-related odors, particularly after flushing a toilet?
These can all be signs that your sewer line deserves a closer inspection.
Houston’s expanding clay soil and aggressive tree roots will expose weaknesses in older sewer systems.
Give Your Garbage Disposal a Little Respect
Don’t treat your garbage disposal like it’s a trash can.
First of all, it’s insulting to the garbage disposal community at large, and it can result in the untimely death of the unit itself.
A garbage disposal is a convenience, and late summer is a good time to remind everyone in the house what doesn’t belong in it. Sure, you’ll have the reputation of the weird cousin who’s obsessed with what he puts in the garbage disposal. You’re not so weird when your disposal lasts fifteen or twenty years thanks to your diligence.
At the risk of sounding like that cousin, effective immediately, please stop putting these items down the disposal:
- Cooking grease or oil
- Coffee grounds
- Celery
- Corn husks
- Onion skins
- Newborn Babies
- Pasta
- Rice
- Eggshells in large quantities
The disposal may be able to grind many of these items, but that doesn’t mean they’ll make it all the way through your plumbing.
Check Your AC Condensate Drain, Too
Most homeowners don’t think of their air conditioner as part of their home’s plumbing.
It is.
Your AC has likely been producing gallons of condensation every day since spring. That water leaves your home through a small condensate drain line. If algae or biofilm blocks that drain, water can overflow into your attic, walls, ceilings, or utility closet.
Late summer is one of the most common times for condensate drain problems simply because that drain has been working nonstop for months.
The One Thing Homeowners Usually Get Wrong
Many homeowners believe slow drains are simply an inconvenience.
They’re usually an early warning.
Drains rarely go from perfectly clear to completely clogged overnight. Most spend weeks, or even months, gradually slowing down before finally stopping altogether. Taking care of the problem while water is still draining is almost always easier than waiting until it isn’t.
Stay Away From the Chemical Drain Cleaners
It can be tempting to reach for a bottle of drain cleaner when water starts slowing down.
Not to drink, fool, to clear that darn drain!
Unfortunately, chemical drain cleaners rarely solve the underlying problem.
They may temporarily burn through part of a blockage, but they won’t help with tree-root infiltration, nor will they eliminate the heavy grease buildup that coats the entire interior of the pipe walls. They also can’t detect or repair damaged sewer pipes.
Repeated use of chemical drain cleaners can even be hard on certain plumbing materials over time.
If multiple drains keep clogging, that’s a sign of something happening beyond your control, and it’s time to call in the experts at Nick’s Plumbing.
Know When It’s Time to Call a Plumber
Some drain problems are simple.
Others require professional equipment to diagnose correctly.
If you’re experiencing any of these issues, it’s probably time to schedule an inspection:
- Multiple slow drains.
- Frequent recurring clogs.
- Water backing up into tubs or showers.
- Gurgling toilets.
- Sewer odors.
- Drain problems that keep returning after DIY attempts.
A professional drain cleaning or sewer camera inspection can often identify the source of the problem before it turns into a much larger repair.
An Ounce of Prevention Can Spare You Gallons of Raw Sewage in Your Bathtub
August is a great reminder that plumbing maintenance isn’t just about fixing problems.
It’s about preventing them.
A few minutes spent checking your drains today may help you avoid messy backups, expensive repairs, and unnecessary frustration later in the year.
If your drains have been slowing down, making unusual noises, or showing other signs of trouble, the licensed plumbers at Nick’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning can identify the cause and recommend the right solution before a minor issue becomes a major plumbing emergency.
Free estimates are available for qualifying work, every repair is backed by our 90-day warranty, and you can schedule service by calling (713) 868-9907.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my drains seem slower in August?
Months of grease, soap residue, hair, food particles, and increased summer water use often combine to create noticeable restrictions by late summer.
Is hot water enough to remove grease from my pipes?
No. Hot water may temporarily move grease farther down the line, but it usually hardens again as it cools, allowing additional debris to stick to it.
Should I use chemical drain cleaners?
Occasional use may provide temporary relief for minor clogs, but they won’t solve larger drain or sewer line problems and shouldn’t be relied upon for recurring blockages.
When should I schedule professional drain cleaning?
If multiple drains are slow, clogs keep returning, or you notice gurgling, sewer odors, or backups, it’s a good time to have your drains professionally inspected and cleaned.
Slow Drains on Your August Checklist?
Nick’s Plumbing can inspect the line, clear the restriction, and catch problems before a slow drain becomes a backup.
Call Now: (713) 868-9907 Schedule Online
Drain Cleaning • Sewer Inspection • Garbage Disposal Service
