You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Comfort Masters Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Wheeling homeowners to help them uncover issues before they result in big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a few ways to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Look at all your 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 better the faucet’s operation and may even reduce your water bill.
In addition to faucets, scan any accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can usually access 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 long overdue care
Check your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet appears to be in good shape, go ahead and pour about six drops of food dye into the tank water. Wait half an hour and then look at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, you’re good to go. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you may have a leak and will want 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 could be evidence that plumbing maintenance is needed. A properly running drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Confirm there are strains inserted in all your drains to stop hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water down 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 great care of you so be sure you’re returning the favor. Don’t forget that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it could be time to purchase a new one to help make sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for several days. Whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it running properly.
Check the temperature setting on the water heater and make sure it’s not higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy usage (and help decrease 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 agreement includes a water heater maintenance; and it could actually help your water heater be more efficient and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how you can help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, please call Comfort Masters Service Experts and we can come out and perform your annual plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.