3 Seasonal Plumbing Maintenance Tips Every Perth Homeowner Needs(3 Tips Each Season)
Are you consistent in chasing water leaks with a mop?
Been a Sherlock Holmes to detect those hiss, clank, or spluttering sounds?
Forget the old plumbing advice; we will walk you through the top 3 plumbing maintenance tips necessary for each season in Perth. Solve all plumping issues sharper than any MI-5 level agent.
Did we hear you saying, “You don’t like to DIY plumbing maintenance each season yourself,” No worries.
Plumbers in Perth, Scotland will outsmart potential leaks with thermal cameras and acoustic detectors so you don’t have to.
In the blog here, we are not going to tell you the tiring, long list of home plumbing maintenance tips (we know it is overwhelming). We have made them easier for you by picking the top 3 tips for each season.
Read through each season tip so your home stays drip-free and your money may not go down the drain.
Let’s plumb!
Understanding the Importance of Seasonal Plumbing Maintenance
Perth and its climate keep you standing on your toes all year round, do you know why? Let me tell you in simple words.
Perth has a cold winter, during which water in the pipes gets frozen. Frozen water expands and leads to cracks in the pipes. Results? Water leakage. Sometimes, those cracks can’t withstand the threshold and eventually burst.
The entire plumbing system collapses, and the water bills also skyrocket.
Summers are dry and hot in Perth, which again charges water pipes to push more water supply.
Results?
The weaker water pipes, which have sustained the frozen water in winter, might not maintain the extra water pressure and more water usage during summer.
They end up having a chaotic plumbing issue that requires immediate plumbing assistance from professional plumbers.
This might cover why seasonal plumbing maintenance is necessary.
Let’s get crisp seasonal plumbing tips to keep our plumbing system running smoothly each coming season.
Spring Plumbing Maintenance Tip (3 Essential Steps)
Spring brings in colours and joy, but it also comes with its baggage of winter damage.
1. Inspect Winter Damage
Winter tests your plumbing system to the core. Spring is the ideal time to assess how winter has treated your whole plumbing and prepare it for the warmer months ahead.
You can use visible methods to check if there are any hairline cracks or visible leakage. Run your hand through visible pipes, especially joints, to detect leakage.
You can also use a water pressure gauge to see if there is a sudden drop in water pressure. Inspect ceilings and rooms for damp patches, they are signs of water leakage.
If you are good at detecting, you can even have an infrared thermal leak detector to know if there are hidden leaks. If there are severe plumbing issues, quickly call a plumbing emergency to protect against further damage.
2. Clear Gutters and Downpipes
You need to do more inspection now down the gutters. You can use a long ladder specially designed to clean gutters. You may find leaves or dirt in the gutters, which causes blocked drains. Remove them as soon as possible to clear the gutters.
For the downpipes, you can use the long hoses to create a sudden flush of water pressure through the pipes to open them. You can even use hot water to remove any grease from the pipes.
Check if the water is flowing smoothly; if it overflows through the drain pipes, you need to use a drain snake to clear the clogged drains.
You can use a gutter cleaning kit to work out professionally cleaning the downpipes, or you can call professional plumbers to do the job.
3. Test Outdoor Taps
All sprinklers, hose bibs, and outdoor taps might have frozen through the cold. You need to test them all to inspect and open any blockage. Hot water can help you unfreeze taps or faucets present outdoors.
3 Summer Plumbing Maintenance Tips(Must-Do)
Finally, summer arrives, and with it, you feel relaxed; no more plumbing problems and no frozen pipes.
Reality check!
It hits you even harder in the summer months.
Plumbing issues are not as severe as they are in winter, but they do stay.
1. Check Extra Strain On Pipes And Fixtures
We know that in winter, frozen pipes cause major problems; in summer, the scorching heat expands the metals, causing them to bulge or leak.
You can use pipe insulation on the pipes that are exposed to prevent them from expanding in the summer due to heat. Heat tape is also a good way to protect pipes.
Run water through the taps and try to listen if there is a hiss. In the presence of a hissing sound, know your tap is leaky. You can also have visible leak detection and fix it before the leaking water gets pipes burst open.
A leaky faucet can add £20+ to your annual bills. Here’s how you can save.
2. Service Garden Hoses or Sprinklers
We know summers need more water. It is the correct time to service or repair faulty garden hoses and sprinklers, plus other irrigation systems, so there is no water wastage.
You can use any sealant to repair any pipe or hoses.
3. Flush Your Water Heater
Summer is the ideal time to clean your water heater so there are no sediments at its bottom. Flush the heating system as a summer plumbing check.
You can use a water heater descaler to remove any buildup in the bottom of the water heater.
Autumn Plumbing System Maintenance
Autumn comes with colours with orange, red, and yellow foliage. No doubt it feels pleasing to the eyes, but gear up your shovels and rakes for seasonal maintenance.
Clean Fallen Leaves From Drains Or Small Gutter Opening.
Fallen leaves can clog pipes and drains, resulting in clogged gutters. You are required to rake the leaves out from any visible drains.
Use gutter guards to protect your gutters from leaves jamming them.
When you have cleaned the leaves, it is time to check proper water flow; if there are still obstructions, use professional hose openers.
Also, check your garbage disposal units for any physical clogs.
Health Tip: Chemical drain cleaners are not beneficial to clearing leaves or debris from the gutters.
Insulate Exposed Pipes
It is an ideal time to insulate the exposed pipes that may freeze during the temperature drop further in the winter. You must ensure you check on the insulation and plumbing leaks. Remove any withered insulating foams with new insulation to keep you safe from costly repairs during winter.
Use insulation tapes or foams of higher quality to last your insulation for a longer time.
Service Your Boiler
Your heating is back again, but the start of autumn is the right time to carry on professional boiler servicing so there are no leaks or noises. You can find an OFTEC-certified boiler expert to service your gas boiler.
Tips: Bleed radiators for any trapped air.
Winter Plumbing System Maintenance
Winter calls for extensive plumbing system checks to maintain the plumbing system.
Guard Against Frozen Pipes
Pipes freeze during cold weather in Perth, you need to keep a sharp eye on the pipes that can freeze.
Thaw pipes periodically to prevent costly repairs. You can use several handy tools to thaw them yourself as soon as you locate them. A heat gun is a good thing that can unfreeze the pipes. Some people even use the warm air from a hair dryer to thaw freezing pipes during freezing temperatures.
Sometimes, a heating pad also helps; these are a few tips you can use to thaw the pipes that are frozen, but they never replace professional help to solve any plumbing problems.
Locate Your Stopcock
As there are fire drills in schools, it is a good idea to carry a mock drill to locate a stopcock.
A stopcock is the main water supply valve; in case of burst pipes, reach out quickly and shut it off.
Keep Heating On Even You Are Not Home
You may never want to return home to find your home turned into a water park during cold weather. Instead, you need to keep the heating on(maybe at a low temperature). Heating will keep the water in the pipes flowing.
Year-Round Plumbing Maintenance Tips
When you have to address your home’s plumbing needs, it is ideal to crawl spaces where you find pipes or gutters. A toilet bowl, if clogged, needs the same immediate attention as a burst pipe.
If you see there is proper water pressure but less water comes from the faucets, it is a sign to check if there is some issue with your home plumbing systems. Sometimes the pressure relief valve is faulty, fix it soon to save money in the long run.
