Can Summer Heat Cause Your Plumbing Pipes to Expand?

With summers come bright smiles, upbeat moods, and the perils of unchecked thermal expansion. Believe it or not, the latter has huge consequences on society, especially on residential and commercial plumbing. Join us as we discuss how thermal expansion can affect our daily life.

What Is Thermal Expansion?

Before we discuss how thermal expansion affects the plumbing in our houses, we must first define what the phenomenon actually is. Britannica defines the natural phenomenon of thermal expansion as the fractional increase in the volume of a material as its temperature is increased.

As the change is fractional, it tends to go under everyone’s radar. However, the effects of thermal expansion become apparent on structures like the Eiffel Tower. The average height of the metal structure is 324 meters. However, in the summers, the height of the Eiffel tower increases by 17 centimeters!

PVC Pipe Expansion:

As people commonly talk about metal structures and objects when describing the effects of thermal expansion, most people are under the impression that only metals expand when heated. This simply isn’t true because non-metals like plastic can also increase their volume when subject to elevated temperatures.

Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC as it’s commonly called is a kind of plastic that is most commonly used in the construction of pipes. As the material is significantly durable and can withstand adverse weather conditions, we use PVC in the design of plumbing pipes.

That being said, it should be noted that PVC is a thermoplastic and that its volume is bound to increase as the temperature around it increases. This means that the PVC pipes used in residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing systems grow in length, area, and volume during the summers, and shrink during the winters!

Furthermore, excessive use of hot waters in the winters can also cause your plumbing pipes to expand which is why you might’ve noticed how your pipes shift and make groaning noises as the seasons change.

What to Do About This Problem?

Fortunately, it’s very easy to get around this problem. We can limit the material’s ability to expand in the summers and contract in the winters by applying a thick coat of paint on its surface.By painting our plumbing pipes, we limit the direct interaction of the base (in this case the PVC pipe) with elevated temperatures!


The issue of unbearable noise is much more complicated and needs an expert’s touch. So if you’re worried about your plumbing pipes expanding in the summers and contracting in the winters, we suggest getting in touch with Your 1 Plumber. This company has years of experience in the plumbing industry and specializes in residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing solutions.

Operating out of German town, Maryland, Your 1 Plumber provides comprehensive plumbing services including (but not limited to) kitchen faucet installation, water heater repair and toilet repair services. Contact the company today to ensure that your pipes don’t expand or contract at an alarming rate as the seasons change!

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