You may already know that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? Stevenson Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Dayton homeowners to help them discover issues before they turn into big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways you can get your home in great 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 improve the faucet’s operation and may even save you money on your water bill.
After the faucets, inspect all accessible pipes for signs of leaks. You can usually see visible pipes below sinks and down in the basement. 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 long overdue TLC
Check your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet seems to be in good condition, go ahead and put about six drops of food color into the actual tank. Wait 30 minutes and then peak at the bowl. If the bowl water is not colored with the dye, you’re in the clear. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you might have a leak and should 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 be an indication that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Check to make sure there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water into drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from getting in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes good care of you so be sure you’re returning the love. Keep in mind that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is over 15 years old, it is probably about time to purchase a new one to be sure you don’t have that unexpected burst of cold water for a week. 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.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy usage (and help reduce your bills) while also preventing scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to relocate any objects from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just some ways of how to help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Stevenson Service Experts and we can come out and complete your annual plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.
