You may already understand that your heating and cooling equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you realize that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? 天美传媒 offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for the U.S. homeowners to help them discover issues before they become big problems. While you should always call for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance every year, here are a few ways for you to get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.
- Check for plumbing leaks
Check聽your home's聽faucets and toilets for any leaks.聽Confirm there is no water dripping out of or around the connections when you shut off your faucets. If聽there is,聽swapping out the聽fixtures or repairing the leak could help聽better聽the faucet’s聽performance聽and may even聽reduce聽your water bill.
Once you've checked the聽faucets,聽inspect聽any accessible聽pipes for聽indications聽of leaks. You can聽typically聽see聽visible pipes聽in the basement and under sinks.聽In extreme weather pipes can freeze and crack, so springtime is great to make sure the winter weather didn't damage anything that could cause plumbing problems.
- Give your drains some聽much needed聽care
Inspect聽your toilet for any聽leaks or cracks聽in聽the bowl and the tank. If聽your toilet聽looks like it's in聽good聽shape, go ahead and聽pour聽about six drops of food聽dye聽into the聽water in the tank. Wait聽half an hour聽and then聽peak at聽the bowl. If the聽bowl聽is聽uncolored, you’re聽fine. If the聽dye聽appears in the bowl, you聽may聽have a leak and聽will want to聽call a plumbing expert.
- Remember聽your water heater maintenance
If聽a stench聽seems to be聽getting in from聽any of the drains in your home, it聽could聽be聽evidence聽that plumbing maintenance is聽necessary. A properly聽working聽drain shouldn’t release聽odors聽into the air.聽Check to make sure聽there are strains聽placed聽in all your drains to聽prevent聽hair and other聽waste聽from spoiling in the pipes and聽clogging them up.聽Once you've treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour聽four quarts聽of water聽down聽drains that are not used聽often. This will fill the trap and help to聽prevent聽odors from聽coming聽in and聽filling聽up your home.
Your water heater takes聽good聽care of you so聽make sure聽you’re returning the聽love.聽Keep in mind聽that newer water heaters聽have a higher efficiency, so if yours is聽older than 15 years, it聽may be about聽time to聽purchase聽a new one聽to be sure聽you don’t have that聽sudden聽burst of cold water for聽several days.聽Regardless if聽you plan on聽purchasing an upgraded聽water heater, there are聽a couple聽things you can do to help keep it聽operating聽properly.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help聽lower聽your energy聽usage聽(and help聽lower聽your bills) while also聽avoiding聽scalding.聽As a safety precaution, you will want to聽remove聽anything聽from around the water heater. Your聽yearly聽Plumbing PLUS Maintenance聽program聽includes a water heater maintenance; and it聽could even聽help your water heater聽be more efficient聽and avoid plumbing problems聽from happening.
These are just聽a couple聽ways of how聽you could聽help get your plumbing聽ready for spring, but if you are not聽comfortable completing聽any of these tasks,聽always feel free to聽call聽天美传媒聽and we can come out and聽conduct聽your聽annual聽plumbing maintenance and聽repair聽(or help聽prevent) any plumbing problems.
