While most everyone looks forward to spring, there are things that need to be done around the home to prepare your pipes for the change of season. If you are not sure what to do and have never even had a plumber out to fix a leaky faucet, we can help. Never fear, the pipe prep tips are here:
- Start your work in your yard. Not everyone sees the connection between the yard and the indoor plumbing system in a home but there is one. You should walk around and look at the downspouts. They should be pointed away from your foundation. They are there to keep water from pooling around your foundation. The drains should be free of debris. Any clogs can turn your downspouts into potential problems. They can act a little like a leaky faucet, dripping or pouring water just where you need it the least.
- Do a check on all of your faucets. This is not really to find if you have any leaky faucets but to make sure your water pressure. Go around your home and check the cold and hot settings. Turn everything on and let them run for a few minutes. Note if there are any faucets that have lower pressure than the others. This can be evidence of a leak in your system. If this is something you see, you may want to call a residential plumbing services company to check it all out.
- Walk around and inspect any pipes that are exposed. This task takes on a greater sense of urgency if you skipped the winterizing process. Look for cracks. You will need to call plumbing companies in your area right away if you see any problems with the pipes. You should also make sure you have no moss or mold growing around your pipes or ay discoloration. These two issues can be evidence of cracks that are too small to be visible by the human eye.
- Make sure there are no toilet leaks. This is one of the easiest of the spring prep process. Just as a leaky faucet can waste a lot of water (when a faucet drips twice per minute, it will lose about one gallon of water every week), leaky toilets will drive up your water bill. Put some food coloring in the tank of the toilet, walk away for a few minutes, if you go back and see the color in the bowl you have a leaky toilet. To fix this, you will need a new flapper. If you do need to get a new toilet, you may want to look into low flush versions. They can save you as much as 18,000 gallons of water every year.
- Go to your water heater and flush it out. This is crucial to keep your water heater running properly. When you flush it out, you get rid of anything that has built up in the tank. This makes it hard, if not impossible for your water heater to operate at its most efficient level. If you find that your water heater often has to be flushed out to get rid of build up, you may want to consider putting in a tankless water heater.
It is worth noting that many people make the switch from traditional water heaters to tankless water heaters for a number of reasons. They take up less space, provide more in the way of the volume of hot water they can produce, and they last a long time. The average tankless water heater can last two decades or more. If you are interested in these, you can get more information from your local plumbing contractor.
One of the most important things modern life has to offer is indoor plumbing. People have been enjoying it since 2500 BC. Many people enjoy unwinding from a long day by taking a hot bath or shower. It is a luxury most people take for granted but is also an important part of keeping ourselves and our families healthy and happy.
From time to time, our indoor plumbing needs to be checked and maintained. This is especially important before the winter and spring.
