Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already know that your heating and cooling equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Orlando homeowners to help them uncover issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.

Check all your 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, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s operation and may even save you money on your water bill.

After the faucets, inspect any accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can usually 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.

Examine your toilet for any cracks or leaks in both the tank and the bowl. If it appears to be in good shape, go ahead and add about six drops of food color into the tank water. Wait 30 minutes and then peak at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is uncolored, you’re in the clear. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you may have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.

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 needed. A properly running drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Check to make sure there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water into drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from sneaking in and smelling up your home.

Your water heater takes excellent 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 may be about time to invest in a new one in order to ensure you don’t have that unexpected burst of cold water for a week. Regardless if you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it operating properly.

Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy usage (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to relocate any items from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance agreement includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.

These are just a couple ways of how you can 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 complete your annual plumbing maintenance and repair (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.