Give it to yourself, your family, and/or a favourite senior in your life.
It is the gift that will keep on giving throughout the year.
Pleasure and functionality in one happy package. It’s better than living with the irritation of a dripping tap, or the annoyance of a slow-moving clogged drain, and it sets the tone for no-incident holiday season.
If there are any outstanding plumbing issues, it might be a good idea to repair or replace them so that your entertaining will run smoothly over the holiday season and into the new year.
Start with a checklist of all your appliances, fixtures, plumbing lines, septic system, sewage and sump pumps. It’s also a good idea to clean and check the floats. Manually lift the float on the sump pump to see if the pump turns on.
Is your electric hot water tank working as it’s supposed to? Does it need to be repaired? If age is a factor Plumbtech Plumbing can advise the best course of action. The Barrie-based company sells and installs electric water heaters.
Perhaps, it’s time for an upgrade to a nicer, better-looking faucet. Or, consider adding the popular “pot filler tap” to your kitchen. The tap can be mounted on the wall above the stove. Installed with a swing arm, it allows you to move the tap to a pot on the stove to fill it with water rather than lift and move the pot to a sink.
However, if you’re happy with the tap you have but it leaks or the water flows out on an angle, or it runs slower it could be a buildup of minerals that can be alleviated by cleaning it. If the cartridge is gone, it can be replaced but if the tap is very old, it might be less labour intensive and cost less to replace it.
If you’ve noticed signs of wetness on the floor at the base of the toilet, it could be a worn-out gasket, foam, or wax ring. Replacing the ring will prevent further damage to your floor.
Every year, Plumbtech receives calls about frozen pipes. It coincides with the first big freeze-up – three or four days of freezing temperatures – in December and January. Your plumbing is at risk if you forget to drain the inside water line that leads to the outside tap. Is it turned off? Did you leave the outside tap open? Also, disconnect the garden hose from any outside taps.
If you have a seasonal residence or cottage and are planning on spending time there during the holidays, was the plumbing drained and winterized?
If a water pipe freezes, whatever you do, don’t use a propane torch to thaw it. Too many people have inadvertently started a fire which can lead to serious damage if it gets out of control. Try using a hair dryer to apply heat to the frozen water line instead.
With all of the holiday baking and cooking at this time of year, make sure that none of the cooking fat goes into the drain. Cold drains cause fats to solidify and clog.
Have a happy, trouble-free holiday.
Call Plumbtech Plumbing for all your plumbing needs. Seniors receive a discount on labour. Call 705-722-7209.
