While the weather is cool and damp right now, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to change in a couple of short weeks. With warmer spring weather right around the corner, it makes for a good opportunity to clean out your house and check for overall maintenance you may have missed in the fall and winter. Your home plumbing system may be something you haven’t always thought to include in spring cleaning because it always seems to work- until it doesn’t!
Spring cleaning for your home’s plumbing is just as vital as maintaining the HVAC system. Finding issues early on can save you money on expensive repairs and replacements, as well as prolonging the life and efficiency of your system. Most home plumbing systems are built with quality materials and professional assembly, but after a few years, even quality designs can show signs of breaking down. When you begin your spring cleaning, follow our plumbing system checklist!
Plumbing Spring Cleaning Checklist
- Examine the Fixtures – The handles and faucets on all water-releasing equipment should be given a once-over. What you are looking for is signs of leaks when the faucet is shut off, signs of mold or leak stains, and that the faucet works properly. It also doesn’t hurt to re-caulk the unit seal if it’s worn and old. You will find the fixtures in the bathroom sinks, showers, toilets, and the kitchen but don’t forget the outside garden handles too. Worst case scenario, you will find a crack or slow leak that can be easily fixed preventing a later disaster.
- Clear the Drains – Hair, food, and washed-off material are the three big contributors to plugged drains. And many times the plug up is an aggregate of material caught over time. Every drain should be checked that water goes down quickly and doesn’t rise back up with backflow. If your drains are slow and sluggish or bubbling back with water, it might be time to call for drain cleaning to ensure you’re ready for the spring and summer.
- Check the Toilets – Toilet basins don’t just flow water, they contain it in the tank above as well. Over time, toilet ceramic can crack or the seals of feed pipes can age. Both start small leaks that get bigger and create surface area damage. A quick way to see if a seal needs repair is to put food dye in the water in the tank. If the bowl water changes color without flushing or you find dye stains on the floor after an hour or so, there’s a leak on one of the seals.
- Place Strainers on All Drains – Drainage pipes work best when only wastewater goes down the drain. Putting strainers into your sink drains effective prevention methods of stopping blockage material from entering the pipe in the first place. Heavy-use sinks like the kitchen or the laundry cleaning sink should always have strainers in the sink bottom as these units see the most material getting washed down the pipe.
- Proactive Management of the Water Heater– Sitting in your garage or basement, water heaters work for years and years and then suddenly break, often due to no maintenance being applied. In order to keep it working well, follow a few quick tips. First, the temperature should be sent no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Secondly, the heater should be flushed and drained annually to remove sediment that deposits at the bottom of the tank over time. The apparatus should also be inspected for any leaks at the top or bottom of the tank as these are signs of a bigger issue that needs professional attention.
- Sump Pump Check – For homes with a basement, the sump pump should be tested regularly with a few buckets of water to make sure it works. There should be an immediate response and pump out of the drainage. If not, the pump should be checked by a professional.
Don’t forget to look around outside your home as well. Check all outdoor plumbing like spigots and drainage systems for damage. If you find any issues with your home plumbing, call Rebmann today!
