Now that the outside temperatures are slowly starting to warm up and the freeze is beginning to thaw, many people are taking this as a sign that winter is on its way out and the spring season is just around the corner.
These little bits of sunshine that have been poking through are usually just enough of a reminder of the weather to come for most of us to starting drafting our spring cleaning lists. This includes a wide array of things and can get quite extensive, depending on how big of a garden there is to plant (if at all), how much landscaping there is to do, and how motivated we are to really go through the things we have stored in the garage and attic.
Luckily, there are some things that don’t need to be left waiting and can get addressed now, before the spring seasons is officially upon us. In fact, anything to do with your plumbing system can be address sooner than later.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind about your plumbing system before the spring season officially starts:
- Check the temperature on your water heater and make sure that it is set to no higher than 120 degrees. If you wrapped your water heater with an insulated blanket, this is the time to remove the blanket and store it until next winter. If you haven’t had your water heater inspected in more than three years, this is a good time to schedule that appointment.
- Open the cupboards under all of your sinks and pull out anything that is stored under there. Check the corners of the cupboards with a flashlight for mold or puddles of water. Throw out anything that you haven’t used in the last six months to minimize the storage.
- Make sure all of the toilets in your home flush properly and have a good seal around the base. If the seal needs replacing, now is a good time to run a bead of sealant.
While most of your plumbing system is buried outside, making it vulnerable to the outdoor temperatures and weather conditions, you can access some of it from inside of your home and that means that you can identify any problems without having to go out into the colder temperatures.