How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Summer in Florence, SC
Beat the heat before it beats your pipes — your complete summer plumbing checklist for the Pee Dee
Summer in Florence, SC means heat, humidity, and heavy water usage — a combination that puts real stress on your home's plumbing. From outdoor irrigation systems and garden hoses to water heaters working overtime and vacation shutdowns, a little preparation now can prevent a lot of headaches — and emergency calls — once the temperatures climb.
Why Summer Is Hard on Your Plumbing
Most homeowners associate plumbing problems with winter — frozen pipes, burst lines, cold-weather failures. But summer brings its own set of challenges, especially here in the Pee Dee where heat and humidity are relentless from June through September.
High temperatures cause pipes — especially PVC and older materials — to expand, shift, and stress at joints and connections.
Filling pools, running sprinklers, extra showers, and summer guests push your plumbing system harder than any other time of year.
Warm soil and summer rain accelerate tree root growth — and roots actively seek out sewer lines, causing blockages and breaks.
Summer pests — including cockroaches and rodents — are more active and more likely to enter homes through plumbing gaps and drain lines.
Your Summer Plumbing Checklist for Florence Homeowners
Work through this checklist before the heat of summer fully sets in — or call Quality Service Company to handle it all in one professional maintenance visit.
Summer is one of the worst times for a water heater to fail — increased usage from extra showers and guests puts the unit under more stress. Have your water heater inspected before peak season: check the anode rod, flush sediment from the tank, test the pressure relief valve, and verify the temperature setting. A tank set above 120°F wastes energy and creates scalding risk. If your unit is 10+ years old, this is also a good time to discuss replacement before it fails unexpectedly mid-summer.
Outdoor faucets take a beating year-round. Before you start connecting garden hoses and sprinklers, inspect each hose bib for drips, loose connections, or corrosion. A leaking outdoor spigot can waste thousands of gallons over a summer and quietly add significant cost to your water bill. Also check that hose connections are tight — loose fittings under pressure can fail suddenly and flood the area around your foundation.
If you have an in-ground irrigation or sprinkler system, start-of-summer is the time to run each zone and inspect for broken heads, misaligned sprayers, and supply line leaks. A single broken irrigation head can lose 25+ gallons per minute during a cycle. Check that your timer and rain sensor are functioning correctly so you're not watering during or after a rainfall — common in Florence summers.
A toilet that runs silently between flushes can waste up to 200 gallons per day — yet many homeowners never notice it. Drop a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If color appears in the bowl, the flapper is leaking and needs replacement. With summer guests and increased usage, a faulty flapper will only get worse and more expensive over the coming months.
Summer means cookouts, gatherings, and more food prep — which means more opportunity for grease, fats, and food scraps to enter your kitchen drain. Grease is the leading cause of kitchen drain clogs. Never pour cooking oil, bacon fat, or meat grease down the drain — let it solidify and dispose in the trash. Use a drain strainer to catch food particles, and run cold water through the garbage disposal before, during, and after use.
If your home has a pool or hot tub, inspect all supply lines, backwash connections, and equipment fittings at the start of the season. Cracked or loose connections in pool plumbing can lead to significant water loss that's easy to mistake for evaporation. Have equipment like pumps and heaters serviced before the season starts — repairs are faster and easier to schedule before peak demand hits.
High water pressure — anything above 80 PSI — puts unnecessary stress on every pipe joint, fixture, and appliance in your home. Increased summer demand on municipal water systems can cause pressure fluctuations that stress your plumbing. A pressure reducing valve (PRV) keeps your home's pressure in the safe 40–60 PSI range. If you don't have one or haven't had yours tested recently, summer is a great time to check.
Summer is peak season for cockroaches, rodents, and other pests that enter homes through gaps around plumbing penetrations. Inspect where pipes enter your home through walls, floors, and cabinets and seal any gaps with caulk or foam insulation. Under kitchen and bathroom sinks are especially common entry points — and an infestation that starts at a plumbing gap can quickly become a much larger problem.
Leaving town for a week or more? Know where your main water shut-off valve is and consider turning off the water supply entirely while you're away — especially if the home will be unoccupied. A slow leak that would normally be caught quickly can cause serious damage over a week of an empty house. Set your water heater to "vacation mode" to save energy, and ask a neighbor to check on the property periodically.
The most comprehensive way to prepare your plumbing for summer is a professional inspection by a licensed plumber. Quality Service Company's pre-summer plumbing check covers your entire water system — from supply lines and shut-off valves to the water heater, drains, and outdoor fixtures — identifying anything that's worn, leaking, or likely to fail before the high-demand summer season begins.
"Every summer we get calls that could have been prevented with a simple inspection in May. A little preparation goes a long way when the heat hits and your plumbing is working overtime."
— Quality Service Company, Florence SCSummer Plumbing Quick-Reference Checklist
Print this out or save it to your phone — run through it before June arrives:
- Flush and inspect water heater — check anode rod, pressure relief valve, and temperature setting
- Inspect all outdoor hose bibs and spigots for drips and corrosion
- Test and inspect irrigation system — run each zone, check heads and timers
- Test toilets for silent leaks using the food coloring method
- Clean garbage disposal with ice cubes and baking soda to remove odors and buildup
- Check under-sink supply lines and drain connections for moisture or slow drips
- Inspect washing machine hoses for bulging, cracking, or wear — replace if older than 5 years
- Test water pressure — target 40–60 PSI; above 80 PSI requires a PRV check
- Seal all plumbing entry points around walls and cabinets against summer pests
- Locate and test main water shut-off valve before leaving for vacation
- Set water heater to vacation mode when away for more than 3 days
- Schedule a professional pre-summer plumbing inspection with Quality Service Company
The Pee Dee region's combination of high summer temperatures, heavy rainfall, and clay-rich soil creates unique stress on both above-ground and underground plumbing. Clay soil expands when wet and contracts when dry — a cycle that can shift underground pipes and compromise sewer line connections over time. If your home is older than 20 years, a sewer line camera inspection every few years is a wise investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Municipal water systems experience higher demand in summer as households use more water for irrigation, pools, and cooling. This increased demand can temporarily reduce pressure in the supply network. However, if your pressure is consistently low, the cause may be a partially closed shut-off valve, significant scale buildup inside your pipes, or a failing pressure reducing valve — all of which a plumber can diagnose and correct.
For trips longer than 3 days, we recommend switching your water heater to "vacation mode" if that setting is available, or lowering the temperature to around 50°F. This saves energy without allowing the water inside to cool completely — which can promote bacterial growth in standing water. For extended absences, also consider shutting off the main water supply to prevent any leak from going undetected while you're away.
Outdoor plumbing — including hose bibs, irrigation systems, and any exposed supply lines — should be inspected at the start of each season. In Florence's climate, the transition into summer and into winter are the two most important inspection points. UV exposure, temperature cycling, and ground movement all affect outdoor plumbing more aggressively than interior systems.
Proactively replacing an aging water heater before it fails is always preferable to an emergency replacement — and summer is actually a good time to do it. You won't be caught without hot water during a cold snap, scheduling is often more flexible than during peak winter demand, and you can plan the project around your household's schedule. If your water heater is 10+ years old, ask us about your replacement options during a summer inspection visit.
The most common summer plumbing calls we receive in Florence and the Pee Dee include: garbage disposal failures from cookout food scraps, toilet clogs from increased household traffic and guest use, outdoor hose bib leaks discovered when irrigation season begins, water heater failures from overuse, and sewer line issues accelerated by summer root growth. Most of these can be caught and prevented with a pre-season inspection.
Yes. Quality Service Company offers same-day service for urgent plumbing needs throughout the Florence, Darlington, Hartsville, Manning, Sumter, and surrounding Pee Dee communities. For true plumbing emergencies, we're available 24/7 — call (843) 920-2004 any time, day or night.
Get Your Plumbing Summer-Ready Today
Schedule a pre-summer plumbing inspection with Quality Service Company and head into the heat with confidence.
Schedule an Inspection Call (843) 920-2004