You may already know that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Ocala homeowners to help them find issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance every year, here are three ways to get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
Look at all your faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help enhance the faucet’s operation and may even reduce your water bill.
After the faucets, check all accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can typically access visible pipes in the basement and under sinks. 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.
- Give your drains some long overdue TLC
Examine your toilet for any fractures or leaks in both the tank and the bowl. If it seems to be in good condition, go ahead and put about six drops of food color into the actual tank. Wait half an hour and then look at the bowl. If the bowl is not colored with the dye, 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 forget your water heater maintenance
If an unpleasant odor seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it might be an indication that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly operating drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Verify there are strains inserted in all your drains to avoid hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. After you’ve treated 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 filling up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so be sure you’re returning the love. Don’t forget that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is older than 15 years, it is probably about time to invest in a new one to help make sure you don’t have that unexpected burst of cold water for multiple days. Whether or not you plan on investing in a new 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 use (and help lower your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to move away anything from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even 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 spring, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.