Don’t Let Your Plumbing FOOL You!

Have you ever been fooled by assuming one thing only to find out that what you assumed just wasn’t true and then, unfortunately, you are left feeling foolish and somewhat frustrated?

blog_plumbing_fool_1Often times we experience this feeling of being foolish in our homes because we tend to take things for granted.  For instance, we turn on our water and it comes out of the faucet hot for our bubble bath as if it just “magically” happens.  We turn up our thermostat and the furnace kicks on and our home is warm and toasty in no time at all!  Everything seems just fine….

blog_plumbing_fool_2Then one warm Spring Saturday morning we go out to water our lawn (It’s getting to be that time again).  We turn the valve on to the garden hose and out comes that nice clean water.  We go about our business of watering for 15 minutes or so and when we are all done, we turn off the water and feel good about what we have accomplished.

Later that evening we go downstairs to run load of laundry and as we walk towards the washing machine we hear the odd sound of splashing water around our feet.  We look around only to find that the pipe that leads to the outside faucet we were using earlier that day started leaking when we turned it on and at the same time we were watering our grass we were watering our carpet…. GRRRRRRR!!!

That is why at Brothers Plumbing Heating and Electric we suggest being a little pro-active with checking items in your home.  It can only help in the long run. Here is a list of some things you can check:

  • If your outside faucet froze and broke over the winter, you won’t know it until you turn it on for the first time afterwards.  So when you first open the water valve and the spigot for your outside faucet(s), make sure you go down and check right away they are not leaking back into the basement.  Don’t be fooled!  Even if you have the frost proof faucets and remove your hose in the fall, it’s possible to have a break.  You can’t be too careful!
  • Make sure all your shut off valves are tagged so you know what they control and which one to use …. Always good to know in the event of an emergency leak!
  • Is your sump pump working?  Don’t wait for the first big rain to find out. Check your sump pump by using a 5 gallon bucket of water, pour water into the into the Sump Pump tank, the float should rise and trigger the pump to start running.
  • Check the age of your Water Heater (they tend to lose the bottom as they get older!)  If the tank is 15 years old or older, you may want to consider replacing it BEFORE you have a problem.
  • Test your Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors to make sure they are working properly (push the test button, you should hear a beeping sound).
  • Turn up your thermostat and make sure the furnace starts up properly.
  • Check the water line on your Evaporative Cooler to make sure there are no leaks.

blog_plumbing_fool_3At Brothers Plumbing Heating and Electric, our Safety Certified, Professionally Trained Technicians take the time to inspect your home to ensure that you are safe and never fooled by believing that everything is working properly.  Give us a call at (303) 451-5057 or click here: to schedule an appointment.  Let us show you that we don’t fool around” when it comes to taking care of your home!