Spring cleaning means cleaning gutters, organizing closets to shove every last winter sweater out of sight, dusting, scrubbing and deep cleaning your home. But while you check off your spring cleaning to-do list, it’s important to ensure your plumbing system receives some attention as well. Here’s a few tips we recommend for some good spring time, plumbing maintenance.
The kitchen sink
This may be one of the first areas you visit during your spring cleaning run, as many homeowners store various cleaning products and supplies under the kitchen sink – making it one of the most easily cluttered spaces. While you’re spring cleaning and reorganizing your home, consider finding a new home for these products. It’s ok to use the extra space to store things such dust pans, sponges, rags or a few extra rolls of paper towels but avoid overcrowding. Bottles of various (usually hazardous and easily flammable) chemicals, leaning and pressing against your p-trap can cause it to loosen or crack.
Speaking of cracks, while you’re peeking under your kitchen sink – check for leaks. Winter months are particularly hard on your pipes and leaks are likely to happen. If you detect no leaks, great! However in the event of a kitchen sink leak occurring in the future, place a plastic matt at the bottom of your cabinet. This will prevent water entering cavities in your cabinet which can cause mold to form. And with no clutter of products in the way, you’ll be able to address the leak quickly and easily.
Now that you’ve taken care of what’s under your sink, it’s time to go right in and deep clean your garbage disposal. While we advise against using chemicals that can be rough on your drain, here’s a quick way you can clean your garbage disposal yourself:
The appliances
The sump pump. Before the May flowers, April brings showers and those can cause some flooding in areas like your basement. For this reason it’s a good idea to have your sump pump checked for any malfunctions to ensure it is ready to work during the rainy season.
The water heater. Your water heater worked very hard during the winter months to keep your water warm. Check that the temperature is set to the appropriate 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scalding and while we recommend you flush out your water heater before the winter months, if you have not done so, now is definitely due time.
The dishwasher. Another appliance that can be easily overlooked is your dishwasher. Yet dishwashers can also develop buildup and clog up or even leak. Take the bottom, cover, under your dishwasher off and remove any debris that is lingering around.
The drains
Check all the drains in your home for slow draining water or funky smells. If you have drains in your home that get rarely used, it’s a good time to revisit them.The p-traps in your drains store a small amount of water that acts as a barrier between your home and harmful, sewer gasses. But in drains that rarely get used, the water in the p-trap can evaporate, eliminating that very important barrier. For this reason, flush a gallon of freshwater into any drains in your home that do not get regular use.
For a thorough and deep clean of all your drains, consider hiring a professional plumber for a hydro jetting service. This will ensure that all buildup and gunk is flushed out from all parts of your drain, leaving it in tip top condition! Hydro jetting additionally comes with a camera inspection which will pinpoint any weak spots or leaks that could have occurred in your drains during the winter season.
Taking regular care of your plumbing system will improve its efficiency, lower your water bill and prevent expensive and complicated repairs in the future. But caring for your plumbing system also requires professional care that only a trained plumber can provide. For your drain needs our trained and professional technicians are ready to assist you and for plumbing emergencies we are available 24/7.