As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to ensure your equipment and drains are in working order. This care may involve routine upkeep on a number of components of your property, including your heating and cooling unit, water heater, plumbing, and maintaining your toilet. But how can you make sure you’re properly looking after these elements of your home? As experts in maintenance and repair services, we’ve highlighted a few areas to consider below.

Take Care of Your Heating and Cooling System

Most of the heating/cooling maintenance that homeowners undertake is often reactive. There is a lot that can go wrong with one’s HVAC equipment, and homeowners can avoid problems from occurring through routine maintenance. For instance, once a month you should inspect your HVAC’s refrigerant lines for leaks. These lines are typically copper and connect your outdoor air condition to your indoor evaporator coil.

Once every season, homeowners should replace their air filters. It’s a simple, inexpensive solution to prevent your equipment from overworking and stressing the whole system. Furthermore, a dirty filter can lead to serious health consequences due to mold and dirt backup circulating throughout the home.

Maintain Your Water Heater

While it may come as a surprise for some, water heaters need routine maintenance. It is recommended that you flush your water heater once a year to get rid of sitting water. Also, it gives homeowners an idea of what, if anything, needs to be replaced. With proper maintenance, you can extend the lifespan of your water heater equipment.

As you flush out your water heater system, examine the valves and rods to ensure they’re in working order. Replace any rods or valves with more than 6 inches of wire exposed, any coating of calcium, or if the rod is less than an ½ inch thick. Also, if you have an older unit, it might be beneficial to invest in a fiberglass jacket to improve equipment efficiency.

Appropriately Maintaining Your Plumbing Systems

Of all modern conveniences, indoor plumbing is something that homeowners often take for granted. We use our plumbing every day, but it’s easy to overlook due to being out of sight. However, when problems arise, it can often lead to an expensive bill for repair. Most homeowners can avoid a plumbing emergency through routine preventive care, which includes:

  • Cleaning every drain every month
  • Never put grease down the kitchen sink
  • Only using your garbage disposal for small food items, such as crumbs
  • Preventing items from falling into a drain with a drain guard
  • Setting your water pressure no higher than 80 psi

To ensure your sewer line is operating efficiently, homeowners must have their system inspected by experienced plumbers. For homes more than 10-years-old, an inspection is recommended every 6-months. Otherwise, newer homes should schedule inspections every year to ensure everything is running smoothly. Once there, the plumbing technician will use a video inspection camera to see what is going on in the sewer line. They will be able to identify any possible problems and evaluate what your next steps should be.

Another common potential equipment problem for homeowners is the toilet. Many people flush items down the drain without realizing they can clog their plumbing. Avoid expensive repair bills, and refrain from flushing anything other than toilet paper and human waste.

Let B&D Industries Help Maintain Your Home

B&D Industries offers a comprehensive preventative maintenance program built to ensure your home runs as smoothly as possible. If you require maintenance service, do not hesitate to contact us today!