As spring and warmer weather approaches, now is the time to check if the harsh winter temperatures caused any damage inside or outside your home. As you start to make a list of items to tackle, don’t forget to add checking your home’s plumbing system.
Before you start thinking about a garden, landscaping and all the other fun things to be done in the warmer temperatures, follow these steps to prepare your plumbing for spring.
Here Are Some Items to Check
- Check all indoor and outdoor pipes, because cold winter temperatures may have caused a frozen or burst pipe. One of the most common burst lines is an outside spigot. Often, homeowners will not notice a problem until that first time the faucet is used in the spring. Examine exposed pipes for cracks, discoloration or any other damage from winter weather and lower temperatures. If mold is present, it may mean there is a leak somewhere.
- If a hose was left on an outdoor spigot all winter, this is an area that will require extra inspection. Residual water can easily freeze within the stem of the faucet itself, causing a burst pipe inside your wall. Remove the hose and run the spigot to be sure it works properly. Check the wall on the backside of the spigot, inside the house, for potential water damage. Keep an eye on this throughout warmer weather, as a small leak may not show up right away.
- Examine drains, outdoor equipment, the furnace and air conditioner for any leaks, cracks or other damage. Look inside under any sinks to make sure there are no leaks, as well.
- Take a look at all your faucets to make sure they are functioning properly. Do you have low water pressure? Low water pressure usually means there is a leak somewhere. Run all of your indoor and outdoor faucets in both hot and cold settings to check the water pressure. If a faucet hasn’t been used in a while, it may take a few minutes to adjust. Air may have entered into the line at some point and usually will release after a few minutes of run time.
- Check around toilets for dampness and water leaks. Make sure the toilet tank fills up the tank and stops. You can put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and see if any of it works its way down into the toilet after a few minutes. If you see it in the toilet bowl, there is a leak.
- Spring is the perfect time to make sure your sump pump is working properly. With spring comes a lot of rain, and the additional water can sometimes cause flooding in basements. Flooding problems usually can be solved with a sump pump, and therefore, it’s important to make sure this device is in good working order.
- Clean out gutters and downspouts. Downspouts should face away from your home’s foundation and drain toward the street. Debris should be cleared away to prevent future clogging.
- Other areas to be inspected include your home’s septic tank and water heater. Make sure there are no puddles near the septic system. Now is also a good time to flush out your home’s water heater to remove any mineral buildup.
Your home’s plumbing includes any system you set up for your yard or garden, so make sure to check hoses and outdoor faucets and always be aware of freezing temperatures. Even though the temperature may rise to 60 degrees during the day, spring nights still have a tendency to be cold, which can cause pipes to freeze. Until nights are consistently above freezing, you should remove hoses from outdoor spigots after use.
Korrect Inc. has professional, qualified technicians who can respond to a long list of problems that can occur in any home. Running toilets, leaky faucets and pipes, water heaters leaving you with cold water, and low water pressure — an emergency to you is an emergency to Korrect.