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Now that spring is here, Oshkosh, WI homeowners are tackling all the cleaning and maintenance that wasn’t always possible during the winter. While doing spring cleaning and preparing your backyard for summer barbecues, you can’t forget your plumbing or potential flooding on your property. Between melting snow, spring showers, and pipes that may have frozen and cracked during the winter, you might have more water-related issues than you think in your home. Fortunately, preparing your home’s plumbing for the spring season is easier than you might think. Here are some tips that will help you with that task.
1. Test Your Sump Pump
Your sump pump is sometimes the only thing that can prevent flooding in your basement. It sits in a sump basin at the lowest point in your home, usually in your basement or crawlspace. When the water level in the sump reaches a certain level, the sump pump turns itself on and pumps water out of your basement and away from your home.
A sump pump is tremendously helpful if your basement is prone to flooding, but you need to ensure it works properly. The best way to do this is to test it monthly by pouring one or two buckets of water into the sump. Alternatively, you can raise the float switch to ensure the machine works. If the sump pump works correctly, it should activate and pump the water out of your home. You should examine your sump pump and remove any debris blocking the intake. If you have a battery backup for your sump, check the state of the battery and ensure that it is still charging effectively. Like car batteries, these backups will need replacement every few years.
If you test your sump pump and find that it isn’t working, contact a plumbing professional as soon as possible to have it repaired. You don’t want to be stuck with a faulty sump pump during a heavy rainy season.
2. Check Your Water Heater for Corrosion
Your water heater is prone to corrosion, which can cause a leak if it gets bad enough. You should check it periodically for signs of rust and other inconsistencies in the metal outside the tank. Pay special attention to signs of rust on the bottom of the tank, as that is most likely to result in a leak. If you notice any signs of damage or corrosion, contact a plumber about a water heater service to get a repair or replacement immediately.
3. Clean Your Gutters
Your gutters allow water to drain from your roof and away from your house. They can become easily clogged with debris or damaged by severe weather, so make sure that they are clean and in good condition at the beginning of the spring, especially if the forecast calls for rain. While you can do some of this cleaning on your own if you have a ladder that can reach your gutters, hiring a professional who can do the job for you is almost always safer. Either way, your gutters should be cleaned and repaired once all the ice and snow have melted.
4. Check For Leaks
Your pipes are especially vulnerable to leaks in late winter and early spring. Pipes can freeze and crack; you might not notice until spring thaw. Check any exposed plumbing to make sure that it’s in good shape, and look for signs of a leak, such as standing water, low water pressure, and higher-than-usual water bills. Please pay close attention to outdoor plumbing fixtures since they were exposed to the elements all winter.
Remember all your plumbing fixtures and appliances when you check your home for water leaks. Washing machine hoses can crack and break as they age, and your toilet tank can break and leak into the toilet bowl. While this likely won’t cause your toilet to leak onto your bathroom floor, it will cause it to flush, wasting a lot of water constantly. To see if your toilet tank leaks put a few drops of food coloring in it and wait for about 15 minutes. If you see food coloring in your toilet bowl, you almost certainly have a leaky tank.
5. Open and Close Your Water Valves
Due to mineral buildup, the water shutoff valves in your home can become difficult to open and close over time. You can keep your valves loose by periodically opening and closing them repeatedly. Start with your main water shutoff valve and move on to all supplementary valves. If you find that any valves are too difficult or impossible to open or close, call a plumber for repairs. The valves likely need to be repaired or replaced.
6. Schedule a Drain Cleaning
The drains in your home should be cleaned professionally at least once a year, and early spring is the best time for it. A lot of families do more cooking during the winter holiday season, so it’s likely that the drain in your kitchen sink might need some serious cleaning when spring rolls around. The same goes for your shower or bathtub drains if you’ve had a lot of guests during the winter. Even if things have been relatively quiet in your home during the winter, cleaning your drains professionally is still recommended.
7. Call a Plumber for Regular Plumbing Maintenance
When you contact a plumber about cleaning your drains, schedule other plumbing maintenance. A plumbing professional can check for leaky faucets, damaged pipes, a clogged sewer line, and anything else that could trouble your home’s plumbing. A thorough plumbing check-up is always good for peace of mind, but it might also uncover minor issues that can be fixed before they cause severe damage to the rest of your home.
Ask the Experts for Advice
Plumbing issues can happen anytime, but they’re especially common in the spring after a harsh winter. Whether you think your home’s plumbing requires some maintenance before spring arrives or suspect an issue with your pipes or drains, Black-Haak will gladly assist you. We are a family-owned and operated company that has provided expert plumbing services in Oshkosh and the surrounding areas since 1956.
We proudly conduct business based on a firm foundation of integrity, reliability, and trust, and we keep our clients informed during every step of every project we undertake. We also have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and the Winnebago Home Builders Association, and our plumbers are trained to handle practically any issue that may arise in your home. We also provide all our services with flat-rate pricing, so you will never be surprised with an unexpectedly expensive bill when our work is complete.
To learn more about our plumbing services or to schedule service for your home, call Black-Haak today. We will be happy to answer any questions and provide any plumbing services you might need.
