Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance
You may already know that your heating and AC equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for the U.S. homeowners to help them uncover issues before they turn into big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways for you to get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
Inspect all your faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help enhance the faucet’s function and may even reduce your water bill.
After the faucets, examine all exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can often find visible pipes in basements and below sinks. In extreme weather pipes can freeze and crack, so springtime is great to make sure the winter weather didn’t damage anything that could cause plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some seriously overdue care
Inspect your toilet for any fractures or leaks in both the tank and the bowl. If it seems to be in good working order, go ahead and pour about six drops of food coloring into the actual tank. Wait half an hour and then peak at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is uncolored, you’re good to go. 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 coming from any of the drains in your home, it might be evidence that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly running drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Check to make sure there are strains placed in all your drains to prevent hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water through drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from seeping in and smelling up your home.
Your water heater takes excellent care of you so make sure you’re returning the favor. Keep in mind that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is over 15 years old, it could be time to invest in a new one to be sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for multiple days. Whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a couple things you can do to help keep it running properly.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help lower your bills) while also evading scalding. For safety sake, you will want to relocate any objects from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater be more efficient and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and repair (or help stop) any plumbing problems.
