You may already be aware that your heating and cooling equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Service Experts Home Services by Enercare offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Kingston homeowners to help them find issues before they result in big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance every year, here are a few ways for you to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Check all your faucets and toilets for any leaks. Make sure there isn’t any water dripping out of or around the connections when you turn off your faucets. If there is, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help better the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.
After the faucets, inspect any accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can usually 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.
- Give your drains some long overdue attention
Examine your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it looks like it’s in good condition, go ahead and pour about six drops of food dye into the water in the tank. Wait 30 minutes and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, you’re fine. If the color appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t forget your water heater maintenance
If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it might be an indication that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Verify there are strains installed in all your drains to stop hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water through drains that are not used frequently. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from sneaking in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so be sure you’re returning the favor. Keep in mind that newer water heaters have more energy efficiency, so if yours is older than 15 years, it may be about time to purchase a new one to help make sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for multiple days. Whether or not you plan on purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it working properly.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to move away anything from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it could actually help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a few ways of how you can help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, please call Service Experts Home Services by Enercare and we can come out and perform your annual plumbing maintenance and fix (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.