You may already be aware that your heating and cooling equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Comfortech Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Jackson homeowners to help them find issues before they turn into big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a couple ways to get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
Check your home’s 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, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help enhance the faucet’s performance and may even reduce your water bill.
Once you’ve checked the faucets, examine any exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can usually access visible pipes in basements and below sinks. Sometimes pipes can freeze and then crack so spring is the perfect time to make sure the winter weather didn’t cause any damage or plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some long overdue care
Inspect your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet seems to be in good shape, go ahead and put about six drops of food coloring into the actual tank. Wait half an hour and then check the bowl. If the bowl water is uncolored, you’re in the clear. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you might have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Remember your water heater maintenance
If something foul seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it might be an indication that plumbing maintenance is needed. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Confirm there are strains installed in all your drains to stop hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water into drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from sneaking in and stinking up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so make 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 is probably about time to purchase a new one to help make sure you don’t have that unexpected burst of cold water for a week. Regardless if you plan on purchasing an upgraded 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 lower your energy consumption (and help reduce your bills) while also avoiding scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to relocate any items from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance agreement includes a water heater maintenance; and it may actually help your water heater perform more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.
These are just a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Comfortech Service Experts and we can come out and conduct your annual plumbing maintenance and repair (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.