Fall Season Plumbing Tips for Home or Office
Even as temperatures dip, it’s important to maintain your plumbing system. With proper plumbing maintenance, you can ensure your plumbing system runs smoothly throughout the fall and avoid any unwelcomed plumbing emergencies during winter.
Whether you’re at home or the office, follow these tips to keep both outdoor and indoor plumbing problems at bay.
Basement Plumbing Tips
If your home or office has a basement, make sure to check the sump pump and the water heater. Sump pumps are responsible for sending water away from the home to more secure locations such as storm drains. In order to run properly, a sump pump must have power and a clear discharge line. Otherwise, your basement could flood.
Your water heater is under more stress as colder temperatures converge on your area and the water heater works harder to heat.
To avoid any complications or added stress on the heater, flush the system to remove loose sediment at the bottom of the tank.
This will ensure that there are no clogs in the system and it’s ready to heat on command throughout fall and into winter. You should also check the pressure release valve. This should shoot a burst of hot water into the drainpipe. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to replace it.
If you’re always having a problem with your traditional water heater, it may be the perfect time to look into replacing it with a tankless one. Here is some information that compares a traditional water heater with a tankless water heater.
Yard Tips
Don’t forget about the outside of your home or office during fall or winter, as these can become problematic once temperatures plummet. Remove your water hoses from external spigots before they can freeze onto the thread, luckily we live in California where the weather remains mild pretty much the whole year, but you never know!.
If left to the elements, a frozen hose on a spigot can cause interior pipes to burst, causing flooding or damaging the spigot and hose. To add another layer of prevention, find the water shutoff valve, cut the water supply from the exterior, and let everything drain. This will also help you avoid pipe bursts and other damage.
During fall, clean out all gutters and downspouts as another precautionary measure. If these remain clogged, they’ll start to retain water, which will eventually freeze come winter. Ice in the gutter or roof can eventually come crashing down as it melts, causing damage to property or injury to persons on the ground.
Protect Your Pipes
Pipe bursts are one of the most catastrophic incidents a homeowner or business owner can face. When pipes burst, everything floods, causing damage to any area below the location of the burst.
Fortunately, you can prevent this from happening. Locate any pipe that’s exposed to the elements, such as the basement, the exterior of the home, the garage, or between floors. Using heat tape or pipe insulators, wrap the pipes tightly. This will prevent them from bursting and give you peace of mind for the rest of the season.
Express Plumbing, a division of EPS Engineering not only provides above ground plumbing services, but we specialize in underground construction for both residential and commercial properties. Our team always provides innovative ideas and preventative tips from our experience of multiple decades to our client. The majority of plumbing emergencies can be avoided with proper maintenance.
Schedule Annual Plumbing System Inspection and Maintenance
If plumbing and home improvement aren’t your strong points, let our professionals take care of preventive maintenance and plumbing woes.
During an annual inspection, our plumbers will examine the pipes, water heater, sump pump, and septic system for any flaws or problems that may require maintenance. This takes the hassles and the guesswork out of your fall plumbing checklist, allowing you to enjoy the season comfortably.
Fall weather doles out some of the most unexpected weather of the year, and without proper maintenance, your plumbing system could fail at the most inopportune time. But with a bit of due diligence and help from our experienced team, you’ll ensure an effective plumbing system throughout fall and beyond.
Got a question? We love helping clients throughout the Bay Area. Our EPS Engineering team focuses on large scale projects that involve planning, engineering, and underground heavy construction operations, our Express Plumbing Division focuses on providing plumbing support to our residential, commercial, and municipal clients. We are always eager to serve our Bay Area plumbing clients, and we look forward to serving you. Let’s Talk.
