Simple Spring Plumbing Tips
Simple Spring Plumbing Tips, Woohoo! We finally have some warmer temperatures! However, that does not mean that you can take your foot off the gas where plumbing maintenance is concerned. Now is the ideal time to assess the integrity of your plumbing system, so be sure to include that as a priority during your general spring cleaning. It’s easy to miss plumbing issues such as leaks during winter when the water freezes almost as soon as it leaves pipes. Check out our helpful spring plumbing tips below – you may just save some money!
1. Prevent unpleasant odors from seeping into your home by pouring water down infrequently used drains. This will fill the traps and keep odors at bay.
2. Look for signs of leaks in all the exposed pipes in your home, garage, and basement.
3. Test your sump pump to ensure that it works as it should be filling up with water. It should start, discharge water and shut off again.
4. If sewers sometimes back up into homes in your neighborhood, install a backflow valve to prevent future backups.
5. Test for slow leaks by turning off all water-using appliances, including your water heater, and check the reading on your water meter. Check the reading again in about an hour and if it has changed, you have a slow leak.
6. Install a flood alarm to alarm you of potential leaks or floods.
7. Make repairs to any dripping or leaking faucets in order to save water and reduce your water bill.
8. Install strainers in all your bathroom drains to prevent soap, debris, and hair from clogging your drain lines.
9. Confirm a toilet leak by adding food coloring to the toilet tank. If, after about 30 minutes, the color appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.
10. Turn the water supply valves next to toilets and under sinks by turning them off and on again to prevent them from becoming stuck.
11. Clean your shower heads by soaking it in vinegar overnight to dissolve mineral deposits. Scrub it clean using a toothbrush.
12. Reduce the temperature on your water heater to a maximum of 120°F to reduce energy use and prevent scalding. flush water heater tank
13. Flush your water heater tank by draining several gallons of water from it. When corrosion and sediment settle at the bottom of the heater, it reduces heat efficiency and shortens its life span.
14. Replace the water heater if it is 15 years or older. You can find out how old it is by looking at the serial number – the first four numbers represent the month and year in which it was manufactured. You may want to invest in a tankless water heater.
15. Inspect your appliances for leaks or bulges in the hoses and replace plastic or rubber with stainless steel weave hoses. lint trap
16. Clean out the lint trap on your washing machine, and install a wire trap at the end of the drain hose. As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to prevent spring plumbing problems. Once you have taken care of all these issues, you may want to call Ridgeway Mechanical to do a video sewer inspection to ensure that your plumbing is ready to go before the heavy summer rains.
