By Brendan Reynolds, Executive Director of the Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA)
As summer approaches, enterprising property owners will already be focusing on ensuring that their plumbing is fit-for-purpose. These are the months of the year that plumbing works especially hard. Families are at home during the December holidays, and this is the best time of the year to invite friends and family over and to spend time outdoors. Therefore, toilets will be flushed more often, and more dishes and clothes will be washed during this period. Taps will also be used more frequently to fill swimming pools and hot tubs and to wash cars. However, most importantly, with the heavy rains on their way, plumbing also needs to function as intended to avoid clogged drains, flooded sewers and water blockages. With summer almost upon us, I suggest you focus on the following:
Clean your gutters and downpipes
Make sure that your gutters and downpipes are clean. I recommend installing a gutter guard to prevent leaves and other debris from entering and blocking them.
Gutters and downpipes fulfil an important role. They channel rainwater away from your house to appropriate areas on your property. This prevents water from collecting on your roof causing it to deteriorate over time. Moreover, moisture in windows causes condensation which can damage the sill and interior walls, while allowing mould and grime to develop. Gutters and downpipes also stop water from pooling against your home’s foundation, which causes erosion and weakens the structure and foundation. It can also result in flooding, damp, mould and subsidence.
Check your rainwater disposal
Also inspect your rainwater disposal points. Rainwater may not be disposed into the sewer system. Yet, there are so many property owners who do not know that it is illegal to do so. These connections remain a serious problem in the country as is evidenced by extensive flooding during heavy rain. This is because our sewer systems are being overwhelmed by rainwater which they were never designed to handle.
Furthermore, check if water pools near buildings. If so, consider installing a drain to keep water away from structures. This is also the ideal opportunity to think about installing a rainwater harvesting tank on your premises. In addition to solving the problem, it will provide you with free water for irrigation; to fill your pool; and wash your car, to name a few. Our accredited plumbers are increasingly being asked by property owners to help them to reduce their reliance on strained municipal resources. Installing rainwater harvesting tanks is one of the most cost-effective and quickest ways of doing so, while also reducing your water footprint and monthly water bill.
Check for leaks
You will also want to check for leaks especially after the cold winter months when pipes burst, another important enough reason to start inspecting your plumbing at this time of the year.
Keep an eye out for damp or green patches on the lawn – a clear sign that water is leaking out of faulty pipes.
To make sure that there are no leaks on your premises, close all the taps and then check your water meter and record the reading. Take a second reading after about an hour. If the reading has increased without use of toilets and taps, you know that you have a leak on your property that needs to be dealt with by a qualified plumber.
Test your irrigation system
Furthermore, you will want to test your irrigation system, including the timer and garden taps. Importantly, pay attention to leaks, which is a notable waste of water. Bear in mind that a dripping tap can waste up to 30l of water an hour. When multiplied over thousands of leaking pipes and taps, this is major loss of water in a country that can ill afford this type of waste.
Check for blocked drains
Do not forget to inspect for blocked drains. They may become partially blocked, but you will not notice this until the rains arrive and water fills the pipes. I, therefore, suggest that you request an IOPSA-accredited plumber to inspect your pipes with a camera and jet clean the drains if there are any blockages.
Don’t forget your pools and hot tubs
Remember to also focus on your pool and hot tub which will be used extensively this summer. Pay specific attention to leaks and test the system, especially timers.
As a responsible citizen, you will be able to use water more efficiently by installing a backwash tank to collect and reuse backwashed water. Bear in mind that swimming pools are very water intensive, increasing water consumption on a property by as much as 8,85kL/month or 37,36%. An IOPSA-accredited plumber will be able to assist you with this and other ways of improving water use on your premises.
Committed to ensuring quality plumbing workmanship, IOPSA is the official mouthpiece for South Africa’s plumbing industry.
