After what has felt like a long, cold winter, we’re finally into spring – that wonderful season that evokes flowers and sunshine and warmth. It’s also that time of year when many of us get inspired to shake off the winter hibernation with some serious spring cleaning. Great idea! Have you also considered plumbing maintenance tips for spring?
While you’re busy decluttering cupboards, clearing out wardrobes and rearranging furniture, we’d like to remind you that a change of season is the ideal time for plumbing maintenance around your home.
Our top tips for spring
- Check your taps for leaks. Leaking taps are never a good thing. They waste water and money, and quite often, that annoying little leak is a precursor to bigger, more expensive problems. An easy way to check if you have a sneaky leak in your home, check check your water meter just before going to bed, and then check again in the morning. If your numbers have moved during the night when there has been no water usage in your house, chances are you have a leak.
- How old is your water heater? Yes, spring is all about warmer temperatures, but coming out of winter, your water heater has just worked very, very hard for a good couple of months. Water heaters from 25 to 125 litres should be replaced every 10 years 160 litres and over is every 15 years. On electric heaters, you’ll find the date of manufacture on the compliance stamp on the top ring of the heater. For gas heaters the date of manufacture can be either in same spot as electric or on the removable panel for relighting.
- Hoses on major appliances. Add this to your spring cleaning checklist – check the hoses on your major appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. These appliances are major water consumers in your home, so it’s important to ensure that there are no cracks, holes or leaks in their hoses.
- Clear your drains, gutters and downpipes. We’ve had a couple of months of dried leaves falling, and a few decent storms too, so it’s a good idea to make sure that your drains, gutters and downpipes are cleared of debris. This will prevent blockages that will only cause drainage problems and potential damage to your home.
- Check your outdoor taps. As the weather warms up, you're sure to be out in the garden and using your garden hoses more often, so now's the time to check that your outdoor taps are all in good condition.
We recommend that these sorts of maintenance checks are done each season – early detection of problems can make a big difference between a simple fix and a big, messy, expensive one down the track.
If you come across any problems during your maintenance checks, give us a call.
