Five plumbing problems Dubai apartments hit in summer

We see roughly twice as many plumbing call-outs in July and August as in February. Some of it is heat — water heaters work harder when ambient is 45°C — but most of it is patterns you can pre-empt.

First: aerator build-up in kitchen taps. Dubai water has a measurable mineral content and the aerator filter is the first thing to clog. If the kitchen tap flow has dropped over the year, unscrew the aerator (most twist off by hand), soak it overnight in vinegar, rinse and reseat. Free, takes two minutes.

Second: water heater pressure-relief valve weeping. When the heater is running at peak (every shower, every day) the pressure-relief valve does its job — but a slow weep over months can rust the immediate fitting. If you see a brown stain on the wall behind the heater, book a service before the staining becomes a leak.

Third: AC condensate routed through the bathroom drain. This is a building-design choice in some of the older Discovery Gardens and JVC stock. When the AC drain panline is partially blocked, water can back up into the bathroom drain and emerge as a slow gurgle or — in the worst case — push moisture into the floor. The fix is upstream, in the AC drain line.

Fourth: toilet flush mechanism wear. The internal flush mechanism (cistern siphon, fill valve) is a high-wear item. If your toilet is taking longer than 20 seconds to refill or you can hear water running between flushes, the fill valve is leaking. Standard replacement is AED 220. Putting it off costs more in water bill than it does to fix.

Fifth: sink P-trap odour. When the sink is not used for several days (e.g. while you are travelling), the water in the P-trap can evaporate and let drain odour back into the unit. Run the tap for 30 seconds when you return and the trap reseals. If the odour persists, the P-trap may need replacement — AED 145 on the price book.