You may already be aware that your heating and cooling equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Air Engineers Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Jacksonville homeowners to help them uncover issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a couple ways you can get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
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 enhance the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.
After the faucets, scan all accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can often 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 long overdue care
Check 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 put about six drops of food coloring into the tank. Wait for about 35 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the bowl is not colored with the dye, you’re fine. If the dye appears in the bowl, you could have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If something foul seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it could be a sign that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Check to make sure there are strains placed in all your drains to avoid hair and other debris 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 avoid odors from sneaking in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so be sure you’re returning the kindness. Don’t forget that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it could be time to start looking into a new one to be sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for several 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.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy use (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to relocate any items from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it may actually help your water heater perform more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.
These are just some ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Air Engineers Service Experts and we can come out and conduct your annual plumbing maintenance and repair (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.