By investing in seasonal plumbing maintenance, you can ensure your family has access to clean drinking water throughout the year. With the help of a Portland plumbing maintenance checklist, you can spot leaks and repair them before they lead to major damage. Additionally, you can get help with water pressure issues and avoid frozen pipes.
Besides scheduling an annual maintenance inspection with our professional plumbers, there are important maintenance tasks you can do on your own. Through the best plumbing maintenance and repairs in Portland, you can increase the longevity of your system and avoid costly repairs.
Spring Plumbing Checklist: Maintenance Needs in Warmer Months
At the start of springtime, there is a 50% probability of rain on any given day in Portland. By the end of spring, this rate drops to a 29% probability. Because of this, it’s important to get a head start on your Portland plumbing inspection checklist to ensure your home is ready for spring. If you struggle to remember important maintenance tasks, try adding them to your calendar so that you receive automatic reminders.
- Test Your Water Pressure: When your water pressure drops, it indicates that there could be a clog, leak, or similar issue in your pipes. Because of this, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the water pressure in your various fixtures and get help as soon as it drops.
- Spot Leaks: One of the most important preventative plumbing maintenance tasks you can do is checking for leaks. Because these leaks can occur in pipes within your walls, floors, and ceiling, you should pay attention to signs of moisture. If you hear running water and no one is using water, you may also have a leak.
- Inspect Sump Pumps: To avoid flooding and water damage around your foundation, make sure your sump pump is working properly. You may also want to install a battery backup so that your sump pump can work during electrical outages as well.
- Flush Your Water Tank: Because sediment builds up over time, you should drain and flush your water heater tank each spring and fall.
- Clean Gutters and Downspouts: Your gutters and downspouts are responsible for directing water away from your home and preventing water damage. Because of this, you should make sure to clean out any leaves, twigs, and debris from your gutters and downspouts each spring.
- Inspect Faucets: Freezing water can damage outdoor hoses and faucets. When spring arrives, check for the damages.
- Detect Corrosion: Because metal can corrode when exposed to water, you should check your pipes, faucets, and other plumbing equipment for signs of corrosion.
Summer Plumbing Checklist: Get Ready for a Hot Summer
Portland summers tend to be warm, although there are some hot days as well. To ensure your home is ready for the next heat wave, make sure to wrap up all of your summertime plumbing maintenance services early. If you’re a member of our membership plan, you can enjoy a free annual inspection each year to help with all of your maintenance and inspection needs.
- Track Your Water Consumption: Sometimes, water consumption can increase in the summer because people fill their pools and water plants a little more. However, any drastic increases in your water bill may mean that you have a leak, so it’s important to get problems checked out right away.
- Check Out Your Washing Machine Hose: Each summer, inspect your washing machine hose for signs of damage, such as tiny holes. If there is a problem, you need to get it replaced.
- Pay Attention to Foundation Leaks: If you notice signs of moisture and damp spots around your foundation, you may have a foundation crack or poor drainage. To avoid additional damage, it’s essential to get help right away.
- Clean Your Sprinklers: Since your sprinkler will likely be working double-time in hot weather, it’s important to remove any clogs and clean out your sprinkler lines before summer is underway.
- Change the Water Heater Temperature: Because of how much warmer it is in the summer, you can save money on your utility bill by reducing your water heater temperature.
- Unclog Drains: As you complete your Portland plumbing inspection checklist, take a look at your drains. If the water isn’t draining fast enough, you likely have a clog that needs to be removed.
- Check Your Toilet: To see if the toilet flapper is working correctly, add five drops of food dye to the toilet tank. If it leaks into the toilet bowl within the next 15 minutes, you likely need to get a replacement flapper.
- Prepare for Vacations: Before you go on vacation, use your main shutoff valve to turn off the water to your entire system. This prevents leaks and other issues from occurring while you’re gone.
Fall Plumbing Checklist: Important Preparations for Cooler Weather
As we go into fall, there are a few common plumbing issues that can occur. By using the best seasonal plumbing maintenance, you can prevent major issues and increase the longevity of your plumbing system.
- Prepare Pipes for Frigid Temperatures: Before the weather becomes colder, get your pipes ready. First, inspect them for any issues. Then, use insulation to protect the pipes from freezing weather.
- Service Your Furnace: If your furnace stops working, it increases the likelihood that your pipes will freeze and burst. Before you need to start using your furnace, get it inspected and maintained.
- Look at Your Sewer Lines: Tree roots like to grow toward water sources. Over time, this means that you may develop root intrusion in your sewer lines. You can use a video inspection to discover this issue so that it can be repaired in a timely manner.
- Check Your Water Heater: Water heaters need to be drained and flushed twice a year. This ensures that sediment doesn’t build up inside the tank and lead to problems.
- Inspect the Sump Pump: To ensure your sump pump is ready to protect your foundation and home during rainy weather, test it to make sure it’s in working order. If there is an issue, it’s essential to get it repaired early.
- Clean and Inspect Chimneys: If you use a chimney for heat, you should have it professionally cleaned and inspected so that it’s ready for fall.
- Drain Outdoor Faucets: To prevent plumbing fixtures from freezing, you should disconnect hoses. Then, drain your outdoor fixtures and faucets.
- Clean Gutters: Leaves and twigs often clog up gutters in the fall, which prevents water from draining away from your home. To remedy this problem, it’s important to clean out any materials that are trapped in your gutters or downspouts.
Winter Plumbing Checklist: Prepare for Freezing Weather
While Portland’s wintertime temperatures tend to be more moderate than many parts of the country, they can still get fairly cold. Your Portland plumbing maintenance checklist can help you avoid potential problems and ensure clean water all winter.
- Check Your Water Main Shutoff Valve: If there is a leak or plumbing mishap, you’ll need to turn off your water supply using the main shutoff valve. Each winter, make sure you and other members of your family know where it is located.
- Store Your Hoses: To keep your hoses from freezing and becoming damaged, disconnect, drain, and store them in an indoor location.
- Keep a Faucet Dripping: If the weather drops below freezing, it is a good idea to turn on a faucet so that it drips slightly. By keeping the water moving, you can prevent your pipes from freezing.
- Stop Ice Dams From Causing Damage: To avoid damage from ice dams, make sure to remove snow and ice from your roof.
- Insulate Pipes: Exposed pipes are more likely to freeze, so take the time to insulate any exposed pipes around your home.
- Open Up Cabinets: Similarly, it’s a good idea to open up any cabinet doors that have pipes inside. This allows warm air to circulate so that the pipes are less likely to freeze.
- Change Water Heater Settings: Once the weather turns cold, you may need to increase your water heater temperature. You can make sure it’s producing the right water temperature by using a thermometer to double-check that the water coming out of your faucets is at 120°F.
- Protect Spigots: To stop your spigots from freezing, disconnect the hose. Then, drain water from the spigot. Whenever possible, you should also insulate the spigot so that it stays warmer during cold weather.
Year-Round Checklist Tips
To keep your system functioning perfectly, you need the best annual plumbing maintenance. The following tips can be used throughout the year to help you diagnose, repair, and maintain your important plumbing fixtures, pipes, and spigots.
- Look for Leaks: As a part of your regular plumbing maintenance services, you should routinely inspect for leaks. If you notice running water when you aren’t using any water or any signs of moisture, call one of our plumbers right away.
- Water Heater Maintenance: Proper water heater maintenance will ensure the longevity of your water heater and help you prevent major repairs. As a part of your membership plan, we can help with your water heater maintenance and annual inspections. You should also flush your tank twice a year to avoid sediment buildup.
- Understand Your Plumbing Systems: You don’t want to discover where your main shutoff valve is when your basement is flooding. Be proactive and learn about your plumbing system early, so you can respond quickly to any emergency.
- Clean Your Drains: To avoid clogs, routinely clean your drains. Don’t pour grease, fat, or oils down your drains. If there are young children in your house, teach them not to flush anything down the toilet.
- Be Aware of Your Water Pressure: Unexpected changes in water pressure are a sign that there is a leak or clog. If you notice any unexplained changes, contact our plumbing team right away for help.
Emergency Plumbing Tips
Through the best residential and commercial plumbing maintenance, you can ensure your plumbing system is working throughout the year. However, even the best care won’t prevent every issue. If an emergency situation develops, it’s essential to learn how to manage it so that your home isn’t damaged.
React Quickly to Sewer Problems
When a sewer disaster strikes, you need to move quickly. To avoid having sewage back up into your home, don’t flush the toilet or put anything else down your home’s drains. We offer emergency plumbing maintenance services, so reach out to our team immediately if you think your sewer system is starting to back up.
Learn Where You Can Find Your Main Shutoff Valve
If you experience an emergency plumbing problem, you’ll need to use the main shutoff valve to switch off the water to your home. Be proactive and learn where this valve is located before you have a problem. Because you might not be the person at home when a leak occurs, it’s a good idea to train everyone in your household on how to safely find and turn off your home’s water supply.
Respond to Burst Pipes
If your pipes burst, you need to respond quickly to prevent expensive water damage to your floors, walls, and belongings. As soon as the pipe bursts, go to your main shutoff valve and switch it off. Afterward, call one of our plumbers to get emergency repair services for your plumbing system.
Prepare Contact Information Early
When a plumbing emergency occurs, you don’t want to waste time fumbling around for the right phone number. Instead, add our number to your phone. Then, write it down so that your family members also have access to our phone number in case there is an emergency. We’re ready to help around the clock, so don’t be afraid to reach out if you’re having a plumbing-related problem.
Reach Out for Professional Plumbing Services
By using a plumbing maintenance checklist in Portland, you can ensure your system is prepared for every season of the year. If you notice signs of a plumbing issue, reach out to our team for plumbing maintenance services. While some maintenance tasks can be performed on your own, specialized, complex repairs must be carried out by a licensed plumber.
Learn more about plumbing maintenance in Portland by turning in our online form today.
