You may already know that your heating and AC 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? Broad Ripple Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Indianapolis homeowners to help them uncover issues before they become big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a few ways for you to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Look at 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, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s performance and may even save you money on your water bill.
Once you’ve checked the faucets, inspect any accessible pipes for signs of leaks. You can typically access 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 much needed love
Check your toilet for any leaks or cracks in the bowl and the tank. If everything appears to be in good working order, go ahead and put about six drops of food color into the tank water. Wait half an hour and then look at the bowl. If the bowl water is uncolored, you’re good to go. If the dye appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and need to 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 an indication that plumbing maintenance is required. 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 remains from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water down drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from getting in and smelling up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so ensure you’re returning the favor. Don’t forget that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is over 15 years old, it may be about time to start looking into a new one to help make sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for multiple days. Regardless if you plan on replacing your water heater, there are some 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 usage (and help lower your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For safety sake, you will want to move away any objects from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater perform more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how to help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, please call Broad Ripple Service Experts and we can come out and conduct your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.