Before we had the ability to cool and warm our homes with an HVAC system, people relied on fireplaces to warm their homes during the winter and breezeways to cool them during the warmer months. For those homeowners, spring was the first time they could open their breezeways to air out their homes and clean away the soot the fireplace produced after a long winter.
For people across the country, spring is synonymous with cleaning. Spring cleaning and repair may not seem like the necessity it once was, but it’s the perfect time to inspect your home for problems before heading into summer. Winter and summer can wreak havoc on your home. Winter is filled with holidays and time spent inside the home, and in family homes, summer means children home for more hours each day using household facilities that would typically get a break during the day. If you use the spring months to inspect your home for plumbing problems, you can prevent catastrophic system failures that could harm your home.
5 Ways to Protect Your Plumbing During Spring Cleaning
Water leaks are a common household plumbing issues, and they’re also one of the most expensive and destructive. Undetected water leaks can lead to thousands of dollars in water damages and plumbing repair. Plus, water damage can cause mold growth, which only compounds the damages from a simple preventable leak. So, since we know prevention is the best course of action, knowing what to look for to prevent a water leak is key. There are any number of possible causes of a water leak, but we are going to explore the most common.
Worn Seals: Appliances typically have seals where the machine connects to the line, but there are other plumbing fixtures and appliances with seals, like your dishwasher and refrigerator. From typical wear and tear, a seal can become worn out and ineffective. If you see water puddle around or near your appliance, you need to check and replace a broken seal.
Untreated Clogs & Blockages: For many people in busy households, a clog is an annoying situation remedied by pouring caustic chemicals down the drain and waiting an hour. If this is how you’ve treated clogs drains, it could come back to haunt you. Clogged drains – even the ones outside your home, like your gutters can encounter blockages that cause leaks, overflows ,and flooding. Spring is the perfect time to inspect your drains for problems.
Root Intrusion: Trees and large shrubs can cause water leaks that harm your plumbing, yard, and even put the foundation of your home at risk. Water leaking from pipes underground near your home can lead to soggy lawns and mold. You can perform an initial inspection by looking for sinkholes in your yard. If you suspect a problem, this is one DIY that would best be left to professionals.
Worn or Fault Connectors: Loose water hoses and pipes can cause leaks around your appliances connected to the water line. Water connectors can become unsealed from appliance shifting. For example, when your washing machine spins, it moves, and the water connector could come undone. If you have seen water puddles around your appliance, your connectors may need to be fastened tighter.
If you need assistance maintaining your plumbing system, we can help! The team at All City Plumbing can help keep your plumbing running smoothly. Call our experienced plumbers today at (909) 552-7550 to schedule an appointment.