You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you realize that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? Boehmers/Cronin Emery Home Services by Enercare offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Kitchener homeowners to help them locate issues before they result in big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance every year, here are a couple ways you can get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
Look at 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 better the faucet’s operation and may even lower your water bill.
Once you’ve checked the faucets, check all exposed pipes for signs of leaks. You can usually 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 long overdue care
Check your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If everything looks like it’s in good working order, go ahead and put about six drops of food coloring into the water in the tank. Wait half an hour and then look at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, you’re in the clear. If the color appears in the bowl, you may have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t forget your water heater maintenance
If something foul seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it may be an indication that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly operating drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Verify there are strains installed in all your drains to avoid hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. After you’ve treated with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water through drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from getting in and stinking up your home.
Your water heater takes excellent care of you so ensure you’re returning the kindness. Keep in mind that newer water heaters have more energy efficiency, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it is probably about time to invest in a new one in order to ensure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for a week. Despite whether or not you plan on purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are some things you can do to help keep it running properly.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also avoiding scalding. For safety sake, you will want to relocate any items from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it could even help your water heater run more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems moving forward.
These are just some ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Boehmers/Cronin Emery Home Services by Enercare and we can come out and conduct your annual plumbing maintenance and fix (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.