Spring is the season of cleaning and renewal- but its also the season of rain and growth, which ends up giving us a whole new set of problems. There are many plumbing issues to keep your eye out for in the springtime, but topping your list should be these three simple but very common issues:
1. Full Sinks
One of the most common plumbing issues that’s good to check up on in the springtime is full or clogged sinks. If your sink isn’t draining like it usually does the cause is most likely that the drain is full. Luckily, this problem is super easy to diagnose and usually just as easy to fix.
To help your sink get back to its normal self simply pull out the sink plug and give it a good cleaning (we recommend in a separate sink that isn’t clogged!). Moving on to the drain itself, you can purchase special tools to clean it out, like the Zip-it, or you can just use your plunger. If you choose to use your plunger just make sure the sink overflow line is taped off before you start pulling.
2. Root Growth
Something home-owners often forget to think about is their trees. Spring brings us a lot of new growth outside our windows, from the grass getting greener to tulips blooming, and unfortunately, our beautiful trees expanding their roots ever further into our yards. The danger with this is that often trees placed close to the home will decide that your pipes are the perfect place to grow into! A very common problem that gets overlooked is roots piercing through pipes, causing a damaged, leaky, and contaminated water line.
The best thing to do for this is to try to prevent it before it ever happens. Every year, every other year, or every few years, hire a professional to come out and take a look at those pipelines and check that they aren’t in danger of being invaded. If it turns out that your pipes already have roots in them a local plumber of sewer line specialist will be your best bet to fix the problem. It may just be by removing the roots from the line and patching up the pipe, but more often than not, it ends up being replacing all of the damaged pipes with new ones.
3. Clogged Gutters and Drains
The case for most of us is that we mean to clean our outdoor drains, but that task gets lost among everything else that we need to do. We get it. But one of the biggest problems come spring is that those drains get clogged. Once winter comes around all the debris that we left after fall gets packed down in there with snow and ice. When the weather finally warms up and we need those drains to work we often find that instead of free-flowing openings we have blocks of leaves and twigs clogging them.
The solution, luckily, is very easy. It may be a little gross and annoying, but it is easy, and we’re sure you can guess what we’re going to say. Clean those drains out! Get out there on a nice sunny day, blast some music, and do what you have got to do to get the job done.
Spring has Sprung
Spring, although a beautiful season, and a welcome change from snow, comes with a whole heap of problems. The best thing you can do is try to stay on top of things as well as you can. Make a yearly checklist for what to look out for to keep your plumbing healthy in the spring and add these three to the top!
At Faulstick Plumbing, we specialize in installs, repairs, and inspections for all of your well, water, and plumbing needs. Our family-owned and operated business has built a reputation as the best-doing things the right way with the customer in mind, every time. Give us a call at 570-992-0447 to discuss your needs today!
