Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already understand that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs yearly 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 Cleveland homeowners to help them locate issues before they turn into big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a couple ways to get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.

Check 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 better the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.

In addition to faucets, inspect all exposed pipes for evidence of leaks. You can often find visible pipes below sinks and down in the basement. In extreme weather pipes can freeze and crack, so springtime is great to make sure the winter weather didn’t damage anything that could cause plumbing problems.

Examine your toilet for any leaks or cracks in the bowl and the tank. If it looks like it’s in good working order, go ahead and add about six drops of food dye into the water in the tank. Wait half an hour and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, 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.

If an unpleasant odor seems to be drifting up through any of the drains in your home, it might be a sign that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly running drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Confirm there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid 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 getting in and smelling up your home.

Your water heater takes excellent care of you so ensure you’re returning the kindness. Remember that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, 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 sudden burst of cold water for multiple days. Regardless if you plan on replacing your water heater, there are a couple 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 reduce your energy use (and help lower your bills) while also preventing scalding. As a safety precaution, 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 may actually help your water heater perform 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 comfortable completing 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.