You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? BW/Cook Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Elkhart homeowners to help them uncover issues before they result in big problems. While we recommend calling immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
Check both your faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s operation and may even save you money on your water bill.
After the faucets, inspect all exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can usually access visible pipes in the basement and under 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 long overdue attention
Examine your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it seems to be in good condition, go ahead and pour about six drops of food dye into the water in the tank. Wait 30 minutes and then peak at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is uncolored, you’re in the clear. If the color appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and should call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it may be a sign that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly running drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Check to make sure there are strains installed in all your drains to stop 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 down drains that are not used often. 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 be 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 is probably about time to invest in a new one to help make sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for multiple days. Whether or not you plan on replacing your 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 lower your energy consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to move away any items from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater run more efficiently 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 comfortable performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call BW/Cook Service Experts and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help stop) any plumbing problems.