Vacation shutoff plan
Going away? Shut the main valve — or at least the washer, toilet, and sink supplies. A burst hose with nobody home turns a $20 part into a five-figure flood. We can walk you through your shutoffs on any visit.
Seasonal: summer
Summer-proof your plumbing before vacation
Central Texas summers punish weak plumbing: supply hoses burst in hot garages, water heaters strain under guest-season demand, and irrigation systems run full tilt. A little prep now beats a flooded homecoming later.
The summer checklist
What Central Texas heat does to plumbing
Summer isn't the freeze — nothing bursts from cold. It's the season of heavy use, vacations, and heat-accelerated wear on the parts already living on borrowed time.
Supply hose upgrades
Rubber washing-machine hoses are the #1 cause of catastrophic indoor flooding, and heat makes old rubber fail faster. Braided stainless replacements are cheap insurance — we swap them in minutes.
Water heater tune-up
Summer means guests, kids home, and peak hot-water demand. A flush to clear sediment and an anode rod check keeps your unit efficient through the heavy-use months instead of quitting mid-August.
Irrigation backflow test
Your sprinkler system is running hardest in summer — which makes it the right time to get your annual backflow test done and stay compliant. One visit handles the test and the filing.
Outdoor plumbing check
Hose bibs, outdoor showers, and pool equipment take a beating in UV and heat. We check for leaks, worn washers, and cracked vacuum breakers before small drips become big water bills.
Whole-house pressure check
Thermal expansion in summer stresses PRV valves and water heaters. A quick pressure test tells us whether your regulator is holding — high pressure silently destroys fixtures and supply lines.
Related services
Everything on the checklist, handled
A summer checkup bundles the highest-value items into one visit: pressure test, supply hose inspection, water heater flush, hose bib check, and backflow test scheduling. Ask for it by name when you book.
Backflow testing · Water heater services · Water pressure solutions · Winter freeze protection (for the other extreme)
Before you leave town
Vacation-proof the house this week.
One checkup visit. Zero flooded-homecoming anxiety.
FAQ
Summer prep questions, answered
Should I shut off my water when I go on vacation?
If you're gone more than a few days in summer, yes — or at minimum, shut off the valves to the washing machine, toilets, and sinks. The most common vacation disaster is a supply hose bursting while nobody's home, running water for days. It takes two minutes and prevents the worst kind of homecoming.
Why does my water heater struggle in summer?
It shouldn't from heat alone — but summer is when households use the most hot water (guests, kids home, laundry), and hard-water sediment baked onto the burner or elements over years makes the unit work harder. A flush and anode check before summer keeps it efficient through the heavy-use months.
Does my irrigation system need a backflow test in summer?
Your backflow assembly needs its annual test regardless of season — but summer is when irrigation runs hardest, making it the natural time to get compliant. If your test is due, schedule it before the peak watering months. See our backflow testing page for details.
Can summer heat damage my plumbing?
Directly, less than winter cold — but heat accelerates the failure of already-weak components: rubber supply hoses get brittle faster in hot garages and attics, and thermal expansion stresses water heaters and PRV valves. Summer is the ideal season for a whole-house plumbing checkup while everything is accessible.
What's the single best summer plumbing prep step?
Replace rubber washing-machine hoses with braided stainless steel lines if you haven't already. They're the #1 source of catastrophic indoor flooding, they fail more often in heat, and the swap takes 20 minutes. Do it before your summer vacation.
Ready when you are.
Austin: (512) 233-6590 · Marble Falls: (830) 460-3565