Spring is the ideal time to evaluate your home’s plumbing system, as the change in weather can reveal issues that may have been hidden during the winter months. The warmer weather provides an excellent opportunity to address plumbing problems before they become more significant and require costly repairs or replacements.
Being proactive now can ensure you have a properly running plumbing system throughout the rest of the season. The following plumbing tasks are easy ways to keep everything in working order.
Sewer Line Inspection
With the increase in guests during the holiday season and the heavy meals often accompanying gatherings, your sewer lines may have experienced added stress during the winter months. Extra usage from multiple people flushing toilets or disposing of food waste can, sometimes, lead to heavy clogs and strains on the system.
This can result in blockages and pipe damage if left unchecked. Schedule a professional sewer line inspection with us so that we can identify any issues caused by the added holiday activity. By catching problems early, you can avoid unpleasant sewage backups in your home and expensive repairs. Ensuring your sewer lines are clear and in good condition will help maintain smooth plumbing operations throughout spring and the rest of the year.
Drain Cleaning
Drain cleanings can also benefit your plumbing system after the uptick in use from holiday guests and heavy food during the winter. Significant grease, food scraps, and debris from cooking and entertaining may have left a residue in your pipes that can clog drains and cause substantial blockages.
Spring is the ideal time to tackle the buildup before it leads to bigger problems, such as pipe cracks or sewer odors. Drain cleaning can remove debris and prevent unpleasant odors and slow drainage so that everything continues to run perfectly.
After we do drain cleaning, we can also do a video inspection that will give us a clear view of the condition of your pipes so we can determine if the buildup did any damage. We recommend homeowners have drain cleanings once a year, but it can be beneficial to get them done more frequently if your household experiences heavy use or you live in an area with hard water, like Sacramento.
Arborist Inspection
An arborist inspection can play a crucial role in spring plumbing maintenance by identifying potential risks of root intrusion into your sewer and water lines. They’re trained to assess the health and growth patterns of trees around your property, providing professional insight into how root systems can affect your plumbing.
Tree roots are one of the most common causes of sewer line damage in California. Arborists can pinpoint trees with roots growing too close to or into your pipes and recommend a solution. Early intervention can help protect your plumbing system and avoid expensive repairs and replacements.
Water Heater Inspection
A water heater inspection in the spring is vital after the heavy use it likely endured throughout the cold winter months. Spring is a great time to inspect the unit for any signs of leaks, corrosion, and other damage.
We can also flush your water heater to remove sediment buildup, which can reduce the appliance’s efficiency and lifespan—especially in hard water regions like Sacramento. Making sure it functions properly in the spring can prevent sudden breakdowns while also allowing us to identify any water heater repair or maintenance needs so that we can help extend the lifespan of your unit.
Checking for Leaks
Checking for leaks in your plumbing system is vital during this time of the year, especially if your plumbing system has experienced harsh winter temperatures. While it’s important to do so year-round to prevent water damage and avoid high utility bills, the risk is heightened after winter when pipes are more likely to have been stressed by temperature fluctuations and heavier use. Freezing conditions—even brief ones in Northern California—can cause pipes to expand and contract, leading to cracks that may not be immediately noticeable.
The warmer weather is a good opportunity to thoroughly inspect your system for any signs of leaks, including under sinks, near faucets, and in basements or crawlspaces. We highly recommend scheduling a spring inspection by our professional plumbers so that we can use our extensive experience to evaluate the plumbing system’s condition and look for damage.
Inspecting Outdoor Faucets
After winter, it’s important to inspect outdoor faucets for damage caused by colder temperatures. It’s crucial to check each faucet and supply line connected to it for any signs of cracks, leaks, or other problems.
This is particularly important if they weren’t winterized at all or correctly. Even minor, unnoticed issues can lead to bigger problems that could damage your home, including its foundation. We can test each faucet for you to make sure it’s functioning properly so that you can use it in spring to keep your garden and lawn in excellent condition.
Checking the Sump Pump
It’s important to check your sump pump in spring to make sure it’s ready to handle the potentially heavy rains of the season. While Sacramento isn’t known for extreme flooding, spring storms and snowmelt runoff in nearby regions can lead to basement or crawlspace moisture problems.
A professional inspection will allow us to identify any issues that have developed, such as blockages or cracks. The earlier you schedule the inspection, the better, so your sump pump will be ready to protect your home from potential water damage due to inclement weather, check out these sump pump maintenance tips.
Evaluating the Garbage Disposal
After a winter filled with heavy meals and increased cooking, your garbage disposal may be dealing with the aftermath of food scraps, grease, and heavy waste. It’s a crucial part of your plumbing system, as it breaks down waste before it enters your pipes.
Any issues it experiences can affect the entire plumbing system. Excess grease and debris in the garbage disposal can cause clogs, foul odors, and straining on your pipes, potentially leading to costly repairs or replacements.
Calling us at the start of spring for a professional garbage disposal inspection can allow us to spot issues such as hidden blockages that can lead to problems in the future even if they haven’t made themselves known yet. Taking care of your garbage disposal in spring will help prevent disruptions to your plumbing system throughout the season.
Toilet Inspections
If you had family gatherings or other guests at your home during the winter, your toilets likely experienced heavier use, increasing the potential for damage. Frequent flushing and the extra strain of more people in the house can wear down the toilet’s components like the flapper. The cold temperatures can also put stress on the toilet and pipes, leading to cracks or leaks. Sewage backups and non-working toilets aren’t something you want to experience in your home.
We can inspect the toilets and pipes during spring to check that everything is functioning correctly. This proactive inspection helps identify any issues that may have developed during winter before they worsen. Our plumbers can assess the toilets in your home, even those that haven’t shown any signs of problems.
Don’t put off important spring plumbing maintenance tasks at your home because routine home maintenance is key to a healthy home. Huft Home Services in Sacramento, CA offers plumbing inspections that help keep your system in fantastic condition. We also install filtration systems to combat the adverse effects of our area’s hard water. Reach out to us today to see what we can do for you!
