You may already be aware that your heating and AC equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? TML Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Boise homeowners to help them locate issues before they turn into big problems. While we recommend calling immediately for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance every year, here are a few ways you can get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
- Verify any plumbing leaks
Look at your home’s faucets and toilets for any leaks. Confirm there is no water dripping out of or around the connections when you shut off your faucets. If there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help improve the faucet’s performance and may even reduce your water bill.
In addition to faucets, inspect all accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can often see 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.
- Give your drains some long overdue care
Inspect your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If everything appears to be in good working order, go ahead and pour about six drops of food coloring into the tank water. Wait 30 minutes and then check the bowl. If the bowl water is uncolored, you’re fine. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.
- Remember your water heater maintenance
If an unpleasant odor seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it might be an indication that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Verify there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid hair and other remains from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water through drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from getting in and smelling up your home.
Your water heater takes excellent care of you so be sure you’re returning the love. Don’t forget that newer water heaters have more energy efficiency, so if yours is older than 15 years, it may be about time to start looking into a new one to help make sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for a week. Whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it running 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 consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to remove anything from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.
These are just a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, please call TML Service Experts and we can come out and perform your yearly plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help stop) any plumbing problems.