Seasonal Plumbing Checklist: Preparing Your Home for Each Season in Bend & Redmond

Through regular plumbing maintenance, you can ensure your plumbing system is in the best shape possible. By being proactive, you can prevent costly repairs and plumbing disasters. By using a plumbing maintenance checklist, Bend and Redmond residents can discover more information about caring for their plumbing systems on a seasonal and annual basis.

With the best seasonal plumbing maintenance in Bend, you can prevent major issues and save money on long-term repairs. More importantly, consistent maintenance ensures your loved ones have clean water for cooking, drinking, and cleaning. Plus, you can increase the longevity of your plumbing system.

Spring Plumbing Checklist

As warmer weather rolls around, the right plumbing maintenance services in Bend and Redmond can ensure your system is prepared for the spring. From checking for leaks to cleaning gutters, there are a few things you should do to maintain your plumbing system. To make sure you don’t forget your springtime maintenance needs, add a reminder to your calendar. 

• Check for Leaks: First, check all of your pipes, faucets, and fixtures for potential leaks. Sometimes, leaks occur behind walls, floors, and ceilings, so you should pay attention to any signs of moisture. If you hear the sound of water running when no water is in use, you may have a leak.
• Inspect Your Sump Pump: To protect your foundation, you need a functioning sump pump. Before springtime rains arrive, test your sump pump to see if it’s working correctly.
• Clean Your Gutters: On a sunny day, clean out your gutters and downspouts. This allows water to flow freely away from your roof and walls, protecting your home from water damage.
• Test Water Pressure: Decreases in water pressure may indicate clogs and other problems, so check each fixture to see if it has adequate water pressure.
• Inspect for Corrosion: Metal pipes can corrode when water is present. Each spring, check your exposed pipes to see if they show signs of damage.
• Draining the Water Heater: Over time, sediment builds up in the bottom of your water heater. By draining and flushing your tank, you can ensure it lasts longer.
• Look at Your Outdoor Faucets: Freezing weather can damage outdoor faucets and hoses, even if they’re designed for colder temperatures. Once the weather warms up, check outdoor water fixtures for damage.

Summer Plumbing Checklist

Before summer heat waves arrive, it’s time to go through your plumbing inspection checklist. By tackling plumbing tasks during each season, you can make maintaining your plumbing system a little easier. Members of our Greenshield Maintenance Plan also receive annual inspections and flushes, making consistent maintenance a little easier.

To keep your plumbing system functioning at its best, make sure to carry out the following plumbing preventive maintenance.

• Look at Your Washing Machine Hose: Each summer, take a look at your washing machine hose. If it has holes or shows signs of wear, it’s time to replace it.
• Monitor Your Water Consumption: Many homeowners use more water in the summer because of watering plants and filling pools. If you notice unusual increases in your water bills, it may mean you have a leak that needs to be repaired.
• Clean Your Sprinklers: Check out your sprinkler system to make sure it’s functioning properly. You should clean out clogs and repair any leaks that you find.
• Adjust Water Heaters: Because of how warm it is in the summer, you don’t need to heat your water as much for it to reach the same temperature. To save money on your utility bills, you can turn down your water heater during hot weather.
• Check for Foundation Leaks: If you see any damp spots around your home’s foundation, you could be dealing with poor drainage, foundation cracks, or clogged gutters. These problems must be fixed to prevent additional damage from taking place.
• Prepare for Your Vacation: Before you go on vacation for any extended period of time, make sure your water system is ready. By turning off the water at the main line, you can ensure that leaks and other water-related problems can’t occur while you are gone.
• Inspect Your Toilet: To see if your toilet has a leak, try adding about five drops of food dye to your toilet tank. Then, check the toilet bowl after waiting about 15 minutes. If the flapper is leaking, you will see the dye in the toilet bowl.
• Remove Drain Clogs: As a part of your plumbing inspection checklist, see how fast water is draining in your home. If it isn’t draining quickly, you need to remove the clog and clean the drain out.

Fall Plumbing Checklist

Before the leaves start to fall from the trees, you should start preparing your fall plumbing maintenance checklist. From inspecting sewer lines to cleaning out the gutters, there are a few important plumbing maintenance services you need to have performed before fall storms arrive.

• Service Your Furnace: As a part of your seasonal maintenance work, check your furnace and humidifier. 
• Inspect Your Water Heater: Next, take a look at your water heater to make sure it is working properly. You are supposed to flush your water heater twice each year. To make remembering this important task a little easier, always try to perform one flush in the springtime and one flush in the fall.
• Prepare Pipes for Colder Weather: Before the weather turns cold, inspect your pipes for signs of problems. Then, insulate them for colder weather.
• Clean Gutters: Leaves and twigs often get into gutters during the fall and prevent water drainage. To avoid potential issues, clean out your gutters and downspouts.
• Inspect Your Sump Pump: Fall and winter weather can lead to flooding, so test your sump pump before the weather changes. You may also want to install a battery backup so that your sump pump is prepared for all types of weather conditions.
• Check Your Sewer Lines: Tree roots naturally grow toward water sources, which is why they end up growing into water and sewer lines. Besides visually inspecting your sewer lines, you may want to use a camera inspection to make sure tree roots haven’t gotten into your sewer system.
• Prepare Your Outdoor Faucets: To keep your outdoor faucets and fixtures from freezing, disconnect any hoses. Then, drain the outdoor faucets.
• Chimney Inspection: As a part of your seasonal maintenance, consider getting your chimney inspected and cleaned out before you need to use it.

Winter Plumbing Checklist

In Bend & Redmond, the coldest month of the year is typically December. During this month, temperatures can vary between lows of 25°F and highs of 40°F. Freezing temperatures can damage plumbing systems, which is why wintertime plumbing maintenance services are so important. To make sure your pipes and fixtures are ready for frigid temperatures, try using the following plumbing tips. 

• Turn On Your Faucets: When colder weather arrives, turn your faucets slightly on. A slow drip will help keep the water flowing so that it doesn’t freeze and cause burst pipes. 
• Prevent Ice Dams From Forming: Ice dams on your roof can peel paint, damage shingles, and cause extensive damage. To prevent them from forming, be proactive about removing any snow and ice from your rooftop.
• Insulate Any Exposed Pipes: If there are any exposed pipes around your home, make sure they are insulated and protected against freezing temperatures. 
• Store Hoses: Before freezing temperatures arrive, you should disconnect your hoses and store them in a protected location indoors. 
• Adjust Your Water Heater: Once the weather starts to cool off, you should adjust your water heater setting so that it is comfortable and not too hot. To avoid scalding, you can use a thermometer to verify that the temperature is set at 120°F.
• Look at the Water Main Shutoff Valve: Inspect your shutoff valve to make sure that it is working properly. If there is a leak or similar emergency, you’ll need to be able to access it quickly to turn off the water to the rest of your home.
• Open Your Cabinets: When pipes are inside your cabinetry, they are kept at a colder temperature than the rest of your home. Because the pipes run through your walls, they are closer to the outdoor air. To prevent your pipes from freezing, you should open the cabinet doors around your sinks to make sure warm air can circulate around the pipes. 
• Protect Spigots: To protect your outdoor spigots from freezing, you should start by disconnecting any hoses and draining water from the spigot. If possible, you should shut off the water main that connects to the spigot. Then, install insulation so that the spigot stays as warm as possible.

Year-Round Checklist Tips

While some residential and commercial plumbing maintenance needs to be carried out seasonally, other tasks should be handled throughout the year. At the very least, you should be performing the following maintenance activities at least once a month.

• Monitor Water Pressure: Low water pressure is an early sign of a leak or clog, so pay attention if the pressure changes. Then, reach out to one of our team of experienced plumbers to get help diagnosing and repairing the problem.
• Inspect for Leaks: To avoid flooding and water-related damage, check for leaks throughout the year.
• Maintain Your Water Heater Properly: As a part of your routine maintenance, you should get your water heater maintained once a year. If you’re a member of our Greenshield Maintenance Plan, you can automatically get your water heater and other plumbing systems inspected and maintained by a professional. 
• Keep Your Drains Clean: To prevent clogs from happening, don’t pour fats, oil, or grease down your drains. Additionally, you should make sure young children don’t flush any toys or other non-flushable items down the toilet.
• Familiarize Yourself with Your Plumbing System: Each plumbing system has a unique layout, and you don’t want to wait for a disaster to find out how your system is set up. Before an emergency strikes, make sure to familiarize yourself with the location of your main shutoff valve and other key features.

Emergency Plumbing Tips

Even when you’re proactive about your seasonal and annual plumbing maintenance, problems can still occur. From leaky faucets to damaged sump pumps, there are many different parts that can break down over time. To make sure your home is ready for any type of disaster, learn more about some of the best emergency plumbing tips.

Know Where the Main Shutoff Valve Is Located

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for a plumbing emergency is to learn where your main shutoff valve is. If there is a leak somewhere in your system, you’ll need to turn this valve off. It stops water from flowing and prevents additional damage. Besides being useful in an emergency, you’ll also need to use the main shutoff valve when you’re on vacation so that you don’t have to worry about potential leaks.

Understand Sewer-Related Issues

If a sewer disaster occurs, you don’t want to have overflowing toilets for long. The best response is to call a professional plumber right away. While you are waiting for one of our plumbers to arrive, the most important thing is to stop using any water in your home. Don’t flush the toilet or use the sink because this will only cause your sewer lines to back up more.

Learn How To Handle Burst Pipes

Burst pipes can lead to extensive water damage, so you need to respond to burst pipes right away. Before you do anything else, shut off the water to your home at your main shutoff valve. Then, call one of our plumbers to help with repairs.

Have Contact Information Ready

When a disaster takes place, you don’t want to waste time trying to remember the name of your seasonal plumbing maintenance company. Instead, you should save our number on your phone. If you have an emergency contact list on your fridge, add our number to it. We provide 24/7 emergency plumbing services so you can get help as soon as you have a problem.

Get Help Maintaining Your Plumbing System

With the plumbing maintenance checklist, Bend and Redmond residents can reduce the likelihood of plumbing problems. While many of these tasks can be performed on your own, complex tasks and inspections require a professional. If you need a professional inspection or repairs, our team can help. 

Learn more about our plumbing services by filling out our online form today.