Seasonal Plumbing Tricks

Warranties Available | Over 30 Years of Experience | Licensed, Bonded and Insured

Warranties Available
Over 30 Years of Experience
Licensed, Bonded and Insured

Spring

Learn some season-wise plumbing hacks from the family and locally owned business Wayne Rhiner Plumbing LLC. Springtime is when your sump pump needs a checkup to ensure it's working correctly, free of debris, the float is not stuck, and the basket is not full. If you have a backup system, you need to check the battery, all the connections and the pump and float. Only a working pump can save you from costly water damage.

Summer

As summer rolls around, this is when outside faucets are getting turned on. If you’re doing a lot of yard work, a second meter could save you money.

Fall

During fall it’s time to disconnect your water hoses. Look for drafts and exposed areas where cold can come into the home.

Winter

Finally, when winter arrives, freeze-ups can occur. This is also when water heaters start to give out. Temperature change is the number one cause for water heaters to give way. If you have an older water heater you may consider replacing it before winter sets in. Extreme cold causes water heaters to work harder and can cause heaters to give out and start leaking.

During Iowa’s extremely cold Winters, you can prevent pipes freezing up by keeping cupboard doors open and a trickle of water coming out of the faucets. If you catch frozen pipes before they split, run an infrared thermometer over the pipe to see where it is frozen. Often times, you can cut a hole in the wall where the pipe is frozen and run a hair dryer to keep the pipe from splitting. You can also call the plumbing experts at Wayne Rhiner Plumbing to come to your rescue.

Tip

Whenever your heater has to be shut down for work to be done open up a faucet on a tub before you start the system again. These faucets don’t have screens, and provide an outlet source for the loose debris that has entered the pipes during service. You will find that after you have had plumbing work done, your water pressure in some faucets may be low- this is from calcium and debris on the inside of the pipes coming loose from the water being shut down and then turned back on. You may have to unscrew the aerators from the faucets and clean the screens.