Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already be aware that your heating and AC equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Orangutan Home Services offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Tempe homeowners to help them locate issues before they result in big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a few ways to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.

Inspect both 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, 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, examine all accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can usually access 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.

Check your toilet for any fractures or leaks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet seems to be in good condition, go ahead and pour about six drops of food dye into the tank. Wait 30 minutes and then look at the bowl. If the bowl water is clear, you’re good to go. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you may have a leak and should call a plumbing expert.

If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it might be evidence that plumbing maintenance is needed. A properly operating 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 waste from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour a gallon of water through drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from seeping in and filling up your home.

Your water heater takes excellent care of you so make sure you’re returning the favor. Don’t forget that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is older than 15 years, it could be time to purchase a new one to be sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for multiple days. Regardless if you plan on replacing your water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it working properly.

Check the temperature setting on the water heater and make sure it’s not higher than 120°F. This will help lower your energy use (and help decrease your bills) while also preventing scalding. For safety sake, 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 even help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems in the future.

These are just a couple ways of how to help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not confident performing any of these tasks, please call Orangutan Home Services and we can come out and conduct your annual plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.