It’s that time of year when many homeowners will take part in that great American tradition of clearing out homes, yards and garages in preparation for warmer weather and more leisure activities. If you’re among them, you are encouraged to take a little time to perform some simple spring-cleaning tasks for your plumbing systems in order to avoid expensive repairs and ensure peak performance. Here are a few tips:
- Get “bugs” in your pipes! Clogged drains and sewer backups always seem to occur at the worst time, don’t they? You don’t want a plumbing truck in front of your house when company is coming over. One way to avoid that is with a spring-cleaning treatment of Bio-Clean, an environmentally-friendly drain cleaner made of natural enzymes and harmless bacteria that consume organic waste material such as grease, soap scum, food particles, paper, cotton and even chunks of garbage. Bio-Clean is sold only through plumbing contractors and is much better than the acid-based chemical drainer cleaners sold in stores, which are dangerous to handle and can erode pipes, leading to serious problems from cracks and tears. If you would like to take advantage of our Bio-Clean services to make your plumbing system shine, contact Dutton Plumbing today by calling (805) 849-0965. We can schedule an appointment that is convenient to you and your family. (Our Family Plan clients automatically receive Bio-Clean treatments as part of their annual maintenance service.)
- Check for unseen leaks. Our plumbers frequently find barely noticeable leaks in toilet flappers, faucets and showerheads. These leaks may be barely noticeable, but if your toilet is constantly running you could be wasting up to 200 gallons of water or more every day! You can detect unseen leaks by several methods. One is to check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak. To detect a toilet leak, place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, for sure you have a leak. These problems are easily fixed and in most cases the money saved by fixing them will more than pay for our service call.
- Check your hoses and drains: This takes little time and is something you can do by yourself. Check the water supply lines to your washing machine, faucets, toilets, and other water-using appliances or fixtures. If you see bulges, tears or leaks, you’ll need to replace the lines to avoid future leaks or expensive damage to the appliances. These checks are another service included in our Family Plan maintenance agreements.
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Clean showerheads and faucets: Over time mineral deposits can build up
inside showerhead and faucet openings that can reduce flow and make for
uneven streams. Most faucets have aerators, i.e., tiny screens, just inside
the opening. Unscrew the faucet tip to access the aerator and remove any deposits.
Inspect your water heater for leaks. Storage-type water heaters can sit inside a utility room or basement for many months without being noticed. Take a moment to check the floor around them for any water leakage that could indicate rust or some other problem.
All of these “spring cleaning” procedures and many more are automatically covered by our Family Plan service agreements. Besides annual inspections, Family Plan members benefit from discount pricing and priority scheduling. Contact us today by calling (805) 849-0965 and ask about becoming part of our growing family of fully protected homeowners.
