You may already be aware 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? Atmostemp Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Voorhees homeowners to help them find issues before they result in big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance annually, here are three ways you can get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.
Look at your home’s faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.
After the faucets, check any accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can typically see visible pipes in basements and below 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 long overdue TLC
Check your toilet for any cracks or leaks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet looks like it’s in good shape, 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 uncolored, you’re good to go. If the color appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Remember your water heater maintenance
If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it could be an indication that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly working drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Verify there are strains inserted in all your drains to stop hair and other remains from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water down drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from coming in and stinking up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so ensure you’re returning the favor. Keep in mind that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it is probably about time to start looking into a new one to be sure you don’t have that unexpected burst of cold water for a week. Despite whether or not you plan on purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it functioning properly.
Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also avoiding scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to relocate anything from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how to help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, please call Atmostemp Service Experts and we can come out and perform your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help stop) any plumbing problems.