Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance
You may already understand that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for the U.S. homeowners to help them find issues before they result in big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a few ways to get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
Look at all your faucets and toilets for any leaks. Make sure there isn’t any water dripping out of or around the connections when you turn off your faucets. If there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s performance and may even save you money on your water bill.
Once you’ve checked the faucets, scan any exposed pipes for signs of leaks. You can usually see visible pipes in basements and below sinks. Extreme weather can cause pipes to freeze and sometimes crack so spring is the ideal time to make sure the winter weather didn’t cause any damage that would result in plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some seriously overdue attention
Inspect your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the bowl and tank. If everything appears to be in good shape, go ahead and put about six drops of food color into the water in the tank. Wait for about 35 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is uncolored, you’re fine. If the color appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If an unpleasant odor seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it might be evidence that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly running drain shouldn’t release a stench 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 resulting in a clog. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water into drains that are not used frequently. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from getting 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 have more energy efficiency, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it may be about time to start looking into a new one to be sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for several days. Despite whether or not you plan on purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it functioning properly.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help lower your energy usage (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. For safety sake, you will want to remove any objects from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not confident performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing and we can come out and conduct your seasonal plumbing maintenance and fix (or help stop) any plumbing problems.