You may already understand that your heating and AC equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Fort Myers homeowners to help them locate issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a couple ways you can get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Inspect 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 save you money on your water bill.
After the faucets, inspect all accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can often find visible pipes in the basement and under sinks. Sometimes pipes can freeze and then crack so spring is the perfect time to make sure the winter weather didn’t cause any damage or plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some much needed love
Inspect your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet looks like it’s in good shape, go ahead and add about six drops of food color into the tank water. Wait 30 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the bowl is uncolored, you’re in the clear. If the dye appears in the bowl, you might have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t forget your water heater maintenance
If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it might be a sign that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly working drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Check to make sure there are strains installed in all your drains to prevent hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water through drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from seeping in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes good care of you so ensure you’re returning the kindness. Remember that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is over 15 years old, it could be 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.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy use (and help reduce your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For safety sake, you will want to move away any items from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater perform more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a few ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not confident performing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and conduct your annual plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.