There is a lot of maintenance required when you own a home. Some tasks are easy to see and remember, like cutting the grass or painting the exterior when it begins to show some wear. But the maintenance required by your plumbing is much easier to overlook. However, these few simple tasks can help you to avoid some extensive repair and replacement expenses in the future.
Look For Leaks Or Signs Of Leaks
Taking just a few minutes to walk around the outside and inside of your home to look for leaks is simple but very important. Outdoors, look for a drip of water from a spigot or faucet. A slow drip might not be easy to see, but it will create a moist area in the soil or leave a discolored area on a hard surface. If you have an irrigation system, look for wet areas in the grass, sunken or low spots, or places where the grass is exceptionally taller than the rest of the yard. These are all excellent indications of a leak. Also, check any backflow preventers and your pool and spa plumbing for signs of leaks.
Indoors, look under sinks, in showers and tubs, and any place that you have exposed water pipes that could be leaking. Also, check for damp areas on floors and moist drywall, which could be your only hint of a leak inside the walls or floor of your home. If you locate any wet area that you can’t explain or find any leaks that need repair, call (318) 202-9144 to schedule an appointment with a Gordan AC & Plumbing licensed plumber. Your proactive search for drips and small leaks can eliminate the huge repair bills that accompany hidden leaks in your home that have caused extensive water damage.
Inspect Appliances
Dishwashers, washing machines, and refrigerators with water and ice machines all have water lines that connect them to your house water. Inspect the connections to the appliances as well as to your water supply. A loose connection can drip down a wall and become the breeding ground for toxic black mold. Also, inspect the hoses on each appliance. Make sure that the hose remains flexible and does not show any signs of cracks or splits. Replacing a worn hose is far more cost-effective than water damage repair. Humidifiers are another appliance that uses water. While most of these have a holding tank that you manually fill, inspect the tanks for leaks to avoid any unwanted floods.
Don’t Forget Your Water Heater
It is easy to forget about your water heater, until that morning, when you suffer through a cold shower. Inspect the entire unit for signs of leaks, rust, or corrosion. Inspect the relief valve and the drain valve for any drips that could be telling you it is time for a replacement valve. Also, be sure to test your hot water to be certain that the temperature is to your liking and remains constant.
And be sure that at least once each year, you drain your water heater to remove any sediment that is in the holding tank. You can check the manufacturer’s website to learn more about draining your particular unit and also to learn about any other suggested maintenance. If you are not comfortable inspecting your water heater or draining the tank, call (318) 202-9144 to schedule an inspection form a Gordan AC & Plumbing professional. If any issues require attention, our plumbing will provide you with a free, no-obligation price quote for the work that we recommend.
You don’t need to know a great deal about plumbing, or really anything, to walk around your home and visually inspect for leaks or other plumbing issues. All you need to do is look for areas that should not be moist but are. Then a single call to (318) 202-9144 is all that you need to do. A Gordan AC & Plumbing plumber will arrive promptly to inspect the area in question to determine if there is a leak or other problem with your plumbing.
Performing this proactive inspection monthly will require only a few minutes but could save you thousands of dollars. Finding a small drip in a plumbing pipe or fitting, and repairing it is the best way to avoid a significant leak and expense later. As a rule, small leaks always become significant leaks; they never fix themselves or disappear. And if you find something that you believe is an issue, a Gordan AC & Plumbing professional is always just a phone call away.
