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Winter is just about to end and before you know it, you will be facing the hot summer sun. The problem is: when its winter time, we don’t pay any attention to the air conditioning unit and when it’s summertime, you hardly turn on the water heater. It’s important to keep these appliances maintained or when the time comes to use them, you will find that they’re not working to their full capacity.

Proper maintenance allows you to save money on plumbing in Benbrook, TX. In winter, you will not have to wait for those 2 minutes, so that all the cold water runs out and the hot water finally flows. Even these 2 minutes are precious and during this time, you waste around 3 gallons of water.

To help you save water and make sure the plumbing system is energy efficient; we have come up with 30 tips that will help you avoid potential plumbing pitfalls:

1. In summer, turn on the water heater as well as the central heating system for 15 minutes every month so that they are in-tune in the winter.
2. If you’re leaving for a vacation, turn off the water from the stop tap, so that you don’t come to a house that has numerous leaks or is flooded.
3. Call a plumber in Benbrook, TXto install a switch for the stop tap. This will allow you to easily open and close the tap if the brass stopcock is hard to turn.
4. Avoid washing food full of fat down the kitchen sink’s drain. This can cause a blockage that might result in a leak under the kitchen cabinet. Install a sink strainer over the drain to prevent solids from being washed down.
5. Use a drain cleaner to clear any blockages (make sure to follow the instructions written at the back). You can also use a homemade hack like bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to keep the drain pipe clear and the water flowing.
6. If a tap is dripping, then find the valve underneath the sink and give it a small turn.
7. If the water meter indicates there’s a leak outside, look for shifts in soils or damp patches when it hasn’t been raining. Call a plumber in Benbrook, TX immediately to fix this problem.
8. If the radiator has cold spots, then there’s probably sludge in the connections. This can be easily fixed with a power flush.
9. Is the water pressure not right? Here’s a simple solution: run the tap for 6 seconds, while the water fills a jug. To get the flow rate/minute, multiply the volume of water in liters by ten. If you get a number that is less than 10, then the pressure is low.
10. If you hear a “kettling” noise coming from the boiler, then it’s probably limescale that has built up on the wall. A professional plumber in Benbrook, TX offers three solutions to fix this usse: adding an inhibitor, doing a power flush, and replacing the boiler’s heat exchanger.
11. Bleeding the radiator allows you to get the heat back up again. If you have never done this before or are not familiar with the parts of a radiator, then call a plumber in Benbrook, TX. All that needs to be done is turn the bleed valve anti-clockwise using the bleed valve key.
12. To make sure that the boiler you have installed lasts longer, read it’s policy book and find out how many times maintenance needs to be done on it.
13. If you are worried that you are losing too much money on the HVAC and the water heater, then get a SMART meter installed to calculate the heat usage.
14. Even though wipes claim to be flushable, they are not! So avoid putting down sanitary items and wipes down the toilet or you will end up with a nasty clog, which only a plumber in Benbrook, TX can fix.
15. Confused why you are losing so much water every week? Leaky taps can waste 60-liter water/week, so get them fixed now!
16. To find out whether your toilet is leaking or not, use food coloring to pinpoint the source.
17. Have broken grates outside the house? Install drain covers over them to prevent insects or dead birds from falling in.
18. Get the boiler serviced in summer instead of winter by a plumber in Benbrook, TX. At this time of the season, the repair will come quite cheap.
19. Get a Cistern Displacement Unit (CDD) installed in the toilet tank to save water while flushing.
20. To extend your boiler’s life, get it serviced once every year apart from seasonal maintenance.
21. Get an aerator installed inside the showerhead so that less water is used without the pressure being compromised.
22. Call a plumber in Benbrook, TX to install an inhibitor in your central heating system. This will prevent the build-up of sludge.
23. Avoid pouring drain cleaners the first time you smell a bad odor coming from the sink. Use a snake drain, and if that doesn’t work, call a plumber in Benbrook, TX.
24. Look for signs such as damp smells, bubbles in wallpaper, mildew, and mold. These signs indicate that there’s a leak in the house.
25. If you feel that your water usage is too high, install an aerator to every tap in the house.
26. Insulate the water pipes located outside the house. This will prevent them from freezing in winter.
27. If there’s a lock in the water tap, then to fix this: cover the tap’s end with your hand, open the hot water tap, then the cold water tap. This will push the airlock in the water up the tank.
28. If checking any plumbing pipes, close the water from the stop tap to avoid any unexpected floods.
29. In order to make sure that the radiator is working properly, bleed it when summer begins.
30. If you hear your pipes shifting at night, then it’s probably caused by water hammering. Call a plumber in Benbrook, TX to fix this problem.

If you are looking for professional plumbers in Benbrook, TX, then visit Benjamin Franklin. They offer various plumbing services from fixing drainage systems to small bathroom repairs, bathroom designs, sink tub replacement, faucet repair, and more. To know more about their services, call at 817-478-4119.