Appliance & system Maintenance
A lot of people don’t know that there are plenty of yearly things you can be doing to help extend the life of your appliances, some appliances require a bit more of a complex touch or require only materials available to licensed technicians, but we’re here to help you save money where we can
Water filtration
Some houses have water filtration systems for the whole house, or under sink for reverse osmosis systems. depending on the type of water and filtration system you have dictates the frequency in which filters need to be replaced. they generally last between 3 and 6 months depending on water consumption and quality, in some systems like the 3 stage system pictured above, the first portion of the filtrations system may need to be changed more frequently than the final stage. most filters are available through a plumbing wholesaler, generally we recommend using the same brand filters as the system but some systems allow for interchangeable filter media. most filters come with a wrench to take them off, we always recommend turning off the water and draining the pressure before attempting to pull a filter apart.
Hot water tanks
One of the biggest shocks people have is when we tell them they should be draining and flushing out their hot water tanks, In most of our local area we have hard water, which ends up with a buildup of calcium in water systems, with the water sitting in the tank and the heat, these tanks allow for more calcium to settle gather and collect than any other part of your system. some people use water softeners to combat this, but softener or not it is always a good idea at least once a year to shut the power or gas off to your tank hook up to the drain port on the bottom, run it to somewhere you can put lots of water. outside somewhere or even just into the nearest tub. then open the drain port, if you have a valve on your tank we often suggest throttling the valve slowly open and then slowly cold, this allows blasts of fresh water to hopefully disturb anything settled in the tank and force it out the drain hole. this can save your tank from rotting through or burning out elements by overworking, extending the life of your tank
Furnace Filters
Furnace and air filters should be changed at least once a season. if you only have a furnace, we recommend replacing it before it get’s turned on for the season, if you have air conditioning as well, we recommend changing the filter twice each ear when you switch between heating and cooling. Filters have arrow indicators, the arrow should always face in the same direction the air is flowing. for proper filter size you’ll need to check your specific existing filter to make sure you’re getting the proper one. if you do not have a air filter on your unit we’d recommend getting one installed to help extend the life of your appliances.
Trap and drain areas
There are tons of little P-traps, drain lines and areas where water may or may not collect. some places you want water to always be and some places you don’t want water to sit, some furnaces especially those with a air conditioning function will have a condensate line, sometimes lines can get plugged up by constant hard water or just over time when water sits. it’s always a good idea to make sure all condensate lines are clear of obstruction before starting appliances. Floor drains, or even unused guest bathrooms, vacant homes, etc. can eventually lose the water stored in their traps, in some systems this can dry out any seals it may have causing cracking and eventually leaking. in most systems what will happen is it will allow sewer or septic gas to come back up the pipe and through the trap. we recommend making sure to run water semi frequently in places it isn’t normally used like a spare bathroom. and to dump several cups of water down your floor drains to keep them primed, you can even add a little mineral oil to traps that will remain unused for long periods of time. this slows and sometimes prevents the waters evaporation and keeps the traps primed