Reducing routine plumbing maintenance to once a year is like putting yourself on a fast track to disaster. Neglecting your pipes, drains, and water heater will not only lead to some scary moments — it can also lead to major repair bills. Neglecting your plumbing also increases the risk of water damage or system failure. To keep you from living in fear of your sink or water heater and from facing hefty repair bills someday, here are 5 reasons why you need regular plumbing maintenance all year long.
You Can Find Hidden Problems
When you schedule routine maintenance for your plumbing, a technician will carefully examine your entire system. The plumbing company not only look for obvious problems but will also search for hidden defects that could cause trouble in the future. When you are in the middle of a crisis, it may be too late to find those hidden problems. You may need to call for immediate help, or you may face a major repair bill.
It is much better to schedule a plumbing maintenance visit when everything is normal and quiet. You can ask the technician to be on the lookout for any signs of trouble. You can then act before the problem escalates.
It’s The Only Way to Know If Something’s Wrong
You also need routine plumbing maintenance to find out if something is already wrong in your system. If you only call when a problem occurs, you may be in too much of a panic to notice if the technician finds something that’s not right during the regular maintenance visit. You may also be too eager to solve the problem right away and forget to ask the technician if he or she found anything else that needs to be addressed. When everything is running smoothly, your technician can be very thorough.
He or she can check every part of your system. This can help you catch small problems before they become bigger ones. You can also ask your technician to check your water pressure, water quality, drains and the condition of your faucets. drain repairs are very costly and it’s better to be checked. These are the things that are easy for homeowners to overlook.
It Helps Keep Your Systems Running Well
Regular maintenance keeps your water systems running smoothly. It protects against corrosion, which is one of the leading causes of water heater failure. If your water heater is 10 or 15 years old, corrosion may have damaged the inner components. It may even have eaten away at the walls of the tank, making it unsafe to use. Regular maintenance can spot corrosion before it causes major damage to your system. It can also help you select a water heater with walls that are more corrosion resistant. A healthy water heater can last 15 to 20 years or more. A water heater that has been neglected, on the other hand, may only last a few more years. Your water lines may also corrode over time, especially if you have an older home. Regular maintenance can help you avoid these problems.
It Helps Prevent Major Repairs or Replacement
Regular maintenance can also help prevent bigger repairs, like breaks in the water lines. Your water lines can become brittle over time. If you have older plumbing, they may also have become corroded. Bending and pulling on your water lines can cause them to break. You may also notice pinhole leaks between the walls and the floor. Higher water pressure can cause leaks, too. If your system is under too much pressure, the water can leak out from the weakest areas. If you wait to repair these leaks, they can cause serious water damage to your home. You can also end up paying for a major repair to replace the entire water line.
Fall is the Best Time for Plumbing Maintenance
The best time for plumbing maintenance is during the fall. The leaves are falling off the trees, so you don’t have to worry about debris in the gutters. You also don’t have to worry about insects flying around as you work on your plumbing. You also have the advantage of cooler weather, which can help your pipes and water lines last longer. While you wait for warmer weather to do some repairs, your water lines can age quickly. When the temperatures drop, your water freezes at a lower temperature. This can give you extra time to take care of any maintenance projects you want to do this fall. You can take advantage of the cool temperatures to help keep your water lines from freezing.
