Spring Maintenance, Inspection for Home Plumbing Systems

While it's still a bit wet and windy out there, we are definitely headed towards spring.  With the change in seasons, it's also a good time to do a spring checkup on your home's plumbing systems.  

It's better to be preventive and inspect your systems now than to wait until you need them or until something breaks or leaks.  For example, right now, you're probably not using your landscape irrigation system, but two months from now, when it's hot and dry, you don't want to turn your system on, only to find out it's sprung a leak or spigots aren't working. 

Here is a checklist of common items that should be inspected or serviced every spring:

• Flush your water heater.  This improves energy efficiency and removes mineral and sediment buildup, extending the life of your heater.
• Inspect your outside irrigation system.  Temperature changes (especially freezing and thawing) can cause leaks to develop.  Also, if you didn't purge your system last fall, freezing could have caused lines to burst or leak.  Better to test the system now than to wait until you need it during the summer.
• Inspect water lines.  Access your crawl space (or basement if you have one) and look for leaks and drips in your water lines. Again, changes in temperature can cause pipes and joints to leak.  Leaks over time can turn into outright failure, so it's best to catch them before they become serious.
• Check hose bibs.  People in the Olympia area tend to be complacent about covering their hose bibs in the winter because of our temperate climate.  However, any time it gets below freezing, if you have not covered your hose bibs with an insuliating cap, you are putting your plumbing system at risk.  Even if you do cover, them, it's still a good idea to inspect them for damage after the winter weather passes.

These are all items you can do yourself to make sure your plumbing systems are in good working order.  However, just as you have your car inspected for wear and tear when you bring it in for an oil change, consider having a professional plumber such as M&M Plumbing inspect your systems.  It's inexpensive, will save you time, and could save you money in the long run if problems are found.