You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Falso Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for East Syracuse homeowners to help them locate issues before they result in big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a couple ways to get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
Inspect 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, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help enhance the faucet’s function and may even reduce your water bill.
In addition to faucets, examine all accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can usually find 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 attention
Examine your toilet for any leaks or cracks in the bowl and the tank. If everything seems to be in good shape, go ahead and put about six drops of food color into the tank. Wait half an hour and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is not colored with the dye, you’re good to go. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and should call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If an unpleasant odor seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it may be an indication that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly operating drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Confirm there are strains installed in all your drains to stop hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water through drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from coming in and smelling up your home.
Your water heater takes good care of you so be sure you’re returning the favor. Remember that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, 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 several days. Whether or not you plan on replacing your water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it functioning properly.
Check the temperature setting on the water heater and make sure it’s not higher than 120°F. This will help decrease your energy usage (and help decrease your bills) while also preventing scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to relocate any objects from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems in the future.
These are just a few ways of how you could help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, please call Falso Service Experts and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and fix (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.