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 should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Donelson Air Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Nashville homeowners to help them find 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 to get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
Check all your faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s function and may even reduce your water bill.
In addition to faucets, inspect any accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can typically find visible pipes in basements and below 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 TLC
Examine your toilet for any cracks or leaks in both the bowl and tank. If everything looks like it’s in good shape, go ahead and put about six drops of food dye into the tank water. Wait 30 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the bowl is clear, you’re fine. If the color appears in the bowl, you may 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 could be evidence that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly working drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Check to make sure there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid hair and other remains from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water into drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from getting in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes good care of you so ensure you’re returning the kindness. Remember that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it may be about time to invest in a new one to be sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for multiple days. Despite whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a couple things you can do to help keep it operating properly.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help lower your bills) while also evading scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to remove anything 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 from happening.
These are just some ways of how you can help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Donelson Air Service Experts and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and fix (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.