Spring has finally arrived here in Minnesota and homeowners all over the area are beginning to check items off of their spring cleaning checklist. One of the most essential but so often forgotten spring cleaning tasks is plumbing maintenance. While your sink and faucet may not have visible dust building up, they more certainly could use a little cleaning and maintenance. And, there are plenty of other plumbing-related spring cleaning tasks you should be performing this season. As the experts in plumbing for St Paul, we’ve put together a simple checklist to help protect your home against plumbing problems this season.
General Tasks
- Check any exposed pipes underneath sinks and in the basement for signs of leaks.
- Inspect for slow leaks in your plumbing. Take a reading of your water meter before bedtime and the next morning, without using any water overnight, take another reading. If the reading has changed you have a leak that needs to be repaired.
- Pour a gallon of water into infrequently used drains including any floor drains to fill the trap and prevent odors from entering the house.
Kitchen and Bathroom Plumbing
- Make sure all drains have strainers to prevent hair, soap and debris from clogging the drain lines.
- Check sink faucets for any drips or leaks and schedule plumbing repair to save water.
- Inspect toilet tank and bowl for cracks or leaks. Also make sure toilets flush properly. If the handle must be held down for a thorough flush or jiggled to stop the water from running you may need to replace some parts.
- You can also check your toilet for hidden leaks by adding a few drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. If the toilet is leaking then color will appear in the bowl in less than 30 minutes.
- It is also a good idea to exercise water supply valves under sinks and toilets to prevent them from sticking. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact our plumbing professionals for assistance.
Plumbing Tasks for Appliances
- Check the washing machine dishwasher and ice maker hoses for any bulges or leaks. Replace hoses showing signs of wear and tear or if they are old.
- Check the temperature setting on the water heater. Make sure it is set no higher than 120°F to prevent scalding and also to reduce energy use. Also consider replacing a water heater more than 15 years old; newer water heaters are more energy efficient.
And, these are just some of the plumbing tasks you should perform this spring! To learn more about our plumbing services in St Paul and the surrounding areas, please feel free to call us at All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us online for a Free Estimate.