The Expert’s Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you realize that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? Stevenson Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning 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 arrange for your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways you can get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.

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, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help improve the faucet’s operation and may even lower your water bill.

After the faucets, scan all accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can often see visible pipes in the basement and under 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.

Check your toilet for any leaks or cracks in the bowl and the tank. If everything seems to be in good condition, go ahead and add about six drops of food color into the actual tank. Wait half an hour and then peak at the bowl. If the bowl 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.

If an unpleasant odor seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it be an indication that plumbing maintenance is needed. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Confirm there are strains placed in all your drains to prevent hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water into drains that are not used often. 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 make sure you’re returning the favor. Remember 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 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 running 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 avoiding 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 may even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems in the future.

These are just some ways of how you can help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Stevenson Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and complete your yearly plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.