Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already know that your heating and AC equipment needs seasonal HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also require annual plumbing maintenance by an expert? Norrell Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Birmingham homeowners to help them find issues before they result in big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and schedule your plumbing maintenance every year, here are three ways you can get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.

Inspect both your faucets and toilets for any leaks. Make sure there isn’t any water dripping out of or around the connections when you turn off your faucets. If there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help boost the faucet’s function and may even save you money on your water bill.

In addition to faucets, scan any accessible pipes for indications of leaks. You can often see visible pipes in the basement and under 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.

Check your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it appears to be in good working order, go ahead and add about six drops of food color into the water in the tank. Wait 30 minutes and then peak at the bowl. If the water in the bowl is clear, you’re in the clear. If the dye appears in the bowl, you may have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.

If a stench seems to be drifting up through any of the drains in your home, it might be an indication that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly functioning drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Verify there are strains placed in all your drains to stop hair and other waste from spoiling in the pipes and clogging them up. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water through drains that are not used often. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from getting in and stinking up your home.

Your water heater takes great care of you so make sure you’re returning the favor. Don’t forget that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is more than 15 years old, it is probably about time to invest in a new one to help make sure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for a week. Despite whether or not you plan on investing in a new water heater, there are a couple things you can do to help keep it running properly.

Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy consumption (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. For the purpose of safety, you will want to remove any objects from around the water heater. Your yearly 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 a couple ways of how you could help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not comfortable performing any of these tasks, always feel free to call Norrell Service Experts and we can come out and complete your seasonal plumbing maintenance and fix (or help prevent) any plumbing problems.