You may already know that your heating and AC equipment needs yearly HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for San Antonio homeowners to help them discover issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and arrange for your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are a few ways you can get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Look at both your faucets and toilets for any leaks. When you turn off your faucets check around the connections for water dripping out; if there is, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help improve the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.
After the faucets, check any accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can often access 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 seriously overdue care
Check your toilet for any leaks or cracks in both the tank and the bowl. If your toilet looks like it’s in good working order, go ahead and put about six drops of food dye into the actual tank. Wait for about 35 minutes and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is uncolored, you’re in the clear. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If something foul seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it could be an indication that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly working drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Confirm there are strains placed in all your drains to prevent hair and other remains from spoiling in the pipes and causing them to clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water into drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from getting in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes great care of you so make sure you’re returning the kindness. Don’t forget that newer water heaters have more energy efficiency, so if yours is over 15 years old, it is probably about time to purchase a new one to be sure you don’t have that unpredicted 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 running properly.
Check the temperature setting on the water heater and make sure it’s not higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help reduce your bills) while also preventing scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to relocate any objects from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it may even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, please call Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air and we can come out and complete your annual plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help stop) any plumbing problems.