Spring is the time when the flowers start blooming and many homeowners take advantage of the warmer temperatures to spring clean and make home improvements. Planting new flowers, mowing the lawn, and even power washing your home are some of the activities on a homeowner’s spring cleaning list. It’s also a good time to check-up on your home drains. It’s important to inspect your home for clogged drains, leaks, and water damage. Keeping up a with basic semi-annual drain check-up, can help maintain your home throughout the year and prevent expensive repairs.
While you are turning down the thermostat in your home, check your water heater for signs of corrosion and leaks. Taking an extra twenty minutes to check the following home fixtures can save you tons of money:
Check for Water outside- sprinklers and outdoor faucets
During the winter, outdoor pipes, including sprinklers and faucets, can easily freeze and break when temperatures drop below freezing. When the weather has warmed up, inspect your pipes for signs of water leaks. If you notice puddles of water, or leaks, near sprinklers, or turn on your hose and water pressure is low, these could be signs that one of your pipes froze and broke over the winter.
Water valves
Once a year, turn off the water valves in your home then turn them back on to prevent corrosion or to avoid sticky-ness. Over time, water shutoffs can be hard to turn if parts are not turned at least once a year.
Water Heater Check-Up
During the winter time, you may have increased the temperature of your water heater. Check the water heater temperature, it should be set no higher than 120 degrees to prevent scalding and reduce energy use. Drain your water heater carefully, which will also flush out sediments from corrosion, increase it’s heating efficiency, and expand the life of your water heater. If your water heater in ten years or older, call your local plumber and consider changing it for a higher efficiency water heater.
Test toilets for leaks
As one of the most used water fixtures in your home, testing your toilet for leaks will prevent a lot of headaches and dollars down the drain. You can test your toilet for leaks by putting food coloring into the tank of your toilet. If the water in the toilet bowl turns the color of the food dye within thirty minutes, this is a sign you have a leak in your toilet.
Clean gutters and won spouts
Fall and winter may be over, but the remnants of pine needles, leaves, and other debris can be blocking your gutters and downspouts. By cleaning your gutter with a plumber’s auger, you can clear out your home’s downspouts. This will prevent flooding and water damage during spring and summer showers.
If you need help, or a second opinion on any of the tips mentioned. Call your locally owned and operated Aloha Sewer, Plumbing, & Drains to assist with any plumbing repairs, water heater installations, clogged drains or backed up sewer drains.