The Expert’s Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already be aware that your heating and air conditioning equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but were you aware that you also need to call an expert for annual plumbing maintenance? McKinley Heating Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Edmonton homeowners to help them discover issues before they become big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance annually, here are a few ways you can get your home in tip-top plumbing shape for spring.

Look at 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, replacing the fixtures or repairing the leak could help better the faucet’s performance and may even lower your water bill.

In addition to faucets, examine all accessible pipes for evidence of leaks. You can often see visible pipes in basements and below 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.

Inspect your toilet for any leaks or cracks in the bowl and the tank. If it looks like it’s in good shape, go ahead and put about six drops of food dye into the tank. Wait half an hour and then peak at the bowl. If the bowl water is clear, you’re fine. If the color appears in the bowl, you could have a leak and will want to call a plumbing expert.

If a stench seems to be getting in from any of the drains in your home, it could be a sign that plumbing maintenance is required. A properly working drain shouldn’t release odors into the air. Verify there are strains placed in all your drains to stop hair and other debris from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. Once you’ve treated them with a common drain cleaner, pour eight pints of water into drains that are not used frequently. This will fill the trap and help to prevent odors from getting in and filling up your home.

Your water heater takes great care of you so make sure you’re returning the favor. Remember that newer water heaters have a higher efficiency, so if yours is older than 15 years, it is probably about time to invest in a new one in order to ensure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for a week. Whether or not you plan on replacing your water heater, there are a couple things you can do to help keep it operating properly.

Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help lower your energy use (and help decrease your bills) while also evading scalding. For safety sake, you will want to relocate anything from around the water heater. Your yearly Plumbing PLUS Maintenance plan includes a water heater maintenance; and it could actually help your water heater perform more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems in the future.

These are just a few ways of how to help get your plumbing ready for the season, but if you are not comfortable completing any of these tasks, please call McKinley Heating Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and conduct your seasonal plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help stop) any plumbing problems.