Spring in Glendale, AZ, is the perfect time of year to refresh your space and perform routine maintenance on things like your plumbing system. Preventive maintenance is a great way to take care of your plumbing system and prevent future issues from occurring. You can also use this as an opportunity to catch problems early before they cause damage. When you’re dealing with water from pipes, this can lead to structural rot or mold growth if something goes wrong. Here is a spring plumbing checklist that can ensure your plumbing system remains in tip-top condition.
Checking for Leaks
Even a very small leak in your plumbing system can cause extensive damage to your home. You should periodically check under your kitchen or bathroom sink for leaks around your plumbing system that you can see. A leak can be subtle, presenting itself as condensation on a pipe’s surface. You should also look for pooling water, dripping water, and water stains on ceilings and walls.
Small leaks can often be temporarily repaired using special plumbing sealants or tape. To prevent water from leaking, you may just need to tighten a fitting. In more serious situations, a plumber may need to replace sections of pipe.
Inspecting Your Pipe Insulation
Not all homes have insulation around pipes and plumbing fixtures. However, this is an investment that you may want to strongly consider. Insulating your pipes is a great way to boost the efficiency of your system. Water will retain its temperature as it passes through your plumbing system, so you won’t need to run your water as long to achieve the temperature you want. Your water heater can also be protected from excessive use and strain.
You can insulate your pipes using different materials. Spray foam insulation provides a very tight barrier against air and moisture. You can also have fiberglass batting cut and placed around your pipes. Loose-fill insulation can be sprayed into tight crevices throughout your home.
Clearing Drains
Most homeowners wait until their drains are completely clogged before they call for help. However, you can take a more preventive approach and have your drains professionally cleaned once a year. This maintenance service will remove any debris or mineral deposits that have accumulated in your plumbing system before problems occur. Ignoring drain clogs can lead to leaking pipes or even bursting.
Maintaining Your Water Heater
Don’t forget about maintenance for your water heater. This appliance is necessary for bathing, cooking, and cleaning. If it fails, you’ll be left in an inconvenient situation. Several things can go wrong with your water heater, such as a faulty thermostat, a broken heating element, or mineral deposits. While some problems can cause your water heater to stop producing hot water entirely, there is the potential for your heater to work harder to produce hot water. This can lead to an increase in energy bills. You could also see an increase in repair needs or a shortened equipment lifespan.
We recommend routine water heater maintenance once per year. We can perform this maintenance for you, draining and flushing your water heater, inspecting your anode rod, and checking all connections.
Checking Your Water Pressure
Go around your home and turn on each fixture and faucet one at a time. You want to ensure that you have adequate water pressure at each one. Some fluctuations may not be noticeable. However, our team can use specialized equipment to check water pressure throughout your residence. Low water pressure can be caused by several things, such as corrosion, buildup, clogs, and damaged fixtures. Each of these problems can be professionally diagnosed and repaired.
Inspecting Your Outdoor Plumbing
Some plumbing components and fixtures are located on the exterior of your home, and they require routine maintenance and inspection. After a long winter, check your outdoor spigots to ensure they are working properly and free of leaks. Hopefully, you winterized your outdoor fixtures before the drop in temperature at the beginning of winter. You can bring out hoses and equipment that were stored for the winter. Check hoses and tubing for damage and signs of leaks.
Changing Water Filters
There may be water filters in different areas of your home. Filters may be present in a drinking water system, water softener, or whole-house filtration setup. These filters usually require replacement every year. However, there may be pre-filters that you will want to replace more frequently. Many of these units come equipped with an alert feature that lets you know when filter replacement is necessary.
Consider upgrading any filters you have. Activated carbon filters do a great job of removing chemicals and bad taste from your water source. Upgraded pre-filters can help protect your other filters and remove large pieces of sediment and contaminants.
Inspecting Your Toilet
Your toilet is a fixture that is used daily, multiple times daily. While a typical residential toilet is designed to last upwards of 20 years, issues can still occur. Due to their consistent exposure to water, toilet components can break down over time. If you have hard water, mineral deposits can accelerate the breakdown of these components.
You can check for a leak between your toilet bowl and tank using a simple dye method. Place a few drops of food coloring in the top tank of your toilet and allow some time to go by. When you check your toilet bowl, you shouldn’t see any of the colors from the tank leaking into it. This is a sign of a properly functioning toilet. If you see any color in your bowl, this means there is a leak. A small toilet leak can waste approximately ½ gallon of water per hour, substantially raising your monthly bills.
Other parts of your toilet that may require replacement or repair include the fill valve, flapper, flush handle, and drain seal. Our plumbers can usually perform inexpensive repairs as part of our yearly plumbing maintenance services.
Checking Your Water Meter
Inspecting your water meter is a simple way to determine if there’s a leak in your home. Make sure all the water in your home is turned off. Take a reading from your water meter. If you come back to the meter a little while later and notice that the reading has increased, this means there is water flowing somewhere in your home. This can be an issue with your toilet, a pipe somewhere, an outdoor fixture, or an appliance.
Checking on Your Sump Pump
Preparing your sump pump for monsoon season is very important to prevent basement flooding when a short but large amount of rain falls. Ensure it is clean, free of debris, and functioning properly. Test the pump by pouring water into the pit. Then check the discharge line. Having a battery backup system guarantees protection during power outages, keeping your home dry.
Local Leaders in Plumbing
AZ Family Plumbing is available for routine plumbing maintenance, as well as other services like emergency repairs, water softeners, leak detection, and fixture installation. We can also perform drain cleaning, water heater maintenance, and sewer repair services. Contact AZ Family Plumbing for spring plumbing maintenance in Glendale today.
