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Spring is in full swing! It is the right time for spring cleaning as well as for taking care of your plumbing that was under a lot of pressure the whole winter.
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The following is a comprehensive spring checklist to ensure your plumbing and drains are in a good working condition! The following 6 areas need to be checked this spring:
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- Inspect your drains – with spring comes the rain and wet weather. Make sure that your home drains are cleared of clogs and ready for productive work. If you have floor drains that are rarely used, fill the trap by pouring a gallon of water down the floor drains. This simple procedure will also prevent smells to enter your home from the sewer line. Call the professional plumbers to snake any slow floor drains so that in case of flooding they would be capable of carrying water quickly away from your home. Also check your drains and see if there are strainers in all of them. These low-cost small items will prevent hair and other debris from getting into the main pipeline and forming clogs. They will also save you time, money, and nerves.
- Test your sump pump by pouring a few buckets of water in your sump pump pit. The sump pump should kick in right away and start pumping out water. If it doesn’t do this, get your sump pump inspected by the professionals at Norwalk Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning before it is too late and your basement floor floods.
- Check your outside plumbing – Your outdoor plumbing is as important as your inside plumbing, that’s why it should be kept in best shape possible. Clean out all the gutters and get rid of leaves, also make sure that the downpipes are directed away from your property at the right degree. Check pipes and taps for leaks or corrosion. Clear your roof vents of any leaves, sticks and maybe even a bird’s nest.
- Examine your water heater –Leaks are the biggest problem with water heaters. Inspect around the bottom of the tank for any leftover water and around the fixtures at the top of the water heater. No matter if it is just a few drops of water or a great pool of water, the leaks cannot be ignored. Call in professional plumbers to take care of the leak.
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Flush a few gallons of water out of your water heater, that will help to drain out sediment and
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allow you to see if there is corrosion in the tank. If you are not comfortable checking this out yourself, at Norwalk Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning we provide service, maintenance and repairs on all kinds of water heaters!
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- Do not ignore your toilets. To check for leaks, try to put a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. If the color appears in the toilet bowl in less than an hour, it is time to repair that toilet. Water around the base of the toilet or water dripping from the supply indicates that it is the right timing to call in plumbing pros to fix or replace your toilet to prevent further mold damage and water waste.
- Check your faucets for drips or leaks – If there is water leaking around the base or dripping from the drains under the sink, it is necessary to have your kitchen and bathroom taps fixed or upgraded. If your plumbing drains are slow, check them for clogged food scraps and hair. Get rid of mineral deposits from your shower heads, toilets, bathtub and kitchen taps applying vinegar or some other cleaning detergent. If you realize you cannot unclog the drains on your own, or fix the faucet leak, call our experts before the problem gets worse, becoming more expensive!
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Do not overlook your household plumbing this spring since trivial drips, leaks, and clogs can turn into costly problems that can eventually ruin your home. If you have noticed the problem but too busy to tackle it yourself, at Norwalk Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning we will eagerly help you with any spring repairs and projects. Contact us ASAP!