You may already know that your heating and AC equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Melbourne homeowners to help them find issues before they become big problems. While we recommend calling immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance every year, here are a couple ways you can get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
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, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s performance and may even save you money on your water bill.
In addition to faucets, check all exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can typically see visible pipes below sinks and down in the basement. 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 care
Inspect your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the bowl and tank. If it looks like it’s in good shape, go ahead and pour about six drops of food coloring into the tank. Wait for about 35 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is not colored with the dye, you’re in the clear. 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 coming 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 smells into the air. Check to make sure there are strains placed in all your drains to stop hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water down drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from getting in and stinking up your home.
Your water heater takes excellent care of you so ensure you’re returning the love. Keep in mind that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is older than 15 years, it could be time to purchase 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 purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it operating properly.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy usage (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to remove anything from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance agreement includes a water heater maintenance; and it may actually help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems in the future.
These are just a couple ways of how to help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not confident performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and perform your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.