You may already be aware that your heating and cooling equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Calverley Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Fort Worth homeowners to help them discover issues before they turn into big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a couple ways to get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
Check your home’s faucets and toilets for any leaks. Confirm there is no water dripping out of or around the connections when you shut off your faucets. If there is, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help enhance the faucet’s function and may even reduce your water bill.
In addition to faucets, scan all exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can typically see visible pipes in basements and below sinks. Sometimes pipes can freeze and then crack so spring is the perfect time to make sure the winter weather didn’t cause any damage or plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some much needed love
Inspect your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it appears to be in good working order, go ahead and pour about six drops of food dye into the tank. Wait 30 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the bowl water is clear, you’re in the clear. If the color appears in the bowl, you might have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Remember your water heater maintenance
If something foul seems to be drifting up through any of the drains in your home, it may be evidence that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Verify there are strains installed in all your drains to stop hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water down drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from getting in and stinking up your home.
Your water heater takes good care of you so be sure you’re returning the kindness. Don’t forget that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it may be about time to purchase a new one to be sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for a week. Whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it functioning properly.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help decrease your energy use (and help lower your bills) while also evading scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to relocate any items from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.
These are just a few ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Calverley Service Experts and we can come out and perform your yearly plumbing maintenance and fix (or help stop) any plumbing problems.