Summer months should prompt homeowners to pay special attention to using water efficiently. With bills increasing, Alan O'Neill, president of  highly rated Abacus Plumbing LLC, reminds Houston area homeowners should be considering to keep costs reasonable.

What summer plumbing concerns should homeowners have?

O'Neill: "Water usage in the summer can increase up to 25 percent in the summertime due to increased lawn watering, more frequent bathing and showering and topping off swimming pools.

"Other plumbing concerns homeowners have in the summer are water heaters located in attics going out due to a lack of oxygen in the attics caused by excessive temperatures in the attic. Also, [homeowners should] look for cracked water lines in the front yard due again to the drought conditions many area’sare experiencing. Lastly, he temperature of the cold water in the home being higher than normal due to pipes not insulated in hot attics."