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 require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Epperson Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Hilton Head Island 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 couple ways for you to get your home in great plumbing shape for spring.
Inspect your home’s 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, installing new fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s function and may even lower your water bill.
In addition to faucets, inspect any exposed pipes for signs of leaks. You can usually find visible pipes in the basement and under sinks. 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 seriously overdue attention
Check your toilet for any cracks or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it looks like it’s in good working order, go ahead and pour about six drops of food coloring into the water in the tank. Wait half an hour and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, you’re fine. If the food coloring appears in the bowl, you possibly have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.
- Don’t neglect your water heater maintenance
If an unpleasant odor seems to be coming from any of the drains in your home, it be an indication that plumbing maintenance is needed. A properly working drain shouldn’t release a stench into the air. Verify there are strains placed in all your drains to prevent 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 into drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to stop odors from seeping in and filling up your home.
Your water heater takes excellent care of you so be sure you’re returning the love. 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 start looking into a new one to help make sure you don’t have that unpredicted burst of cold water for several days. 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.
Make sure the temperature setting on the equipment is not set higher than 120°F. This will help decrease your energy usage (and help reduce your bills) while also preventing scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to relocate anything from around the water heater. Your annual Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it could actually help your water heater be more efficient and avoid plumbing problems from happening.
These are just some ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for spring, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Epperson Service Experts and we can come out and conduct your yearly plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.