Maintenance Tips

An ounce of prevention will go a long way toward keeping your home’s plumbing in top working order and you'll avoid costly repairs!

Faucets and Sinks

• Even small drips can waste thousands of gallons of water, as much as 150 gallons a day! Be sure to check under sinks for moisture or small leaks. And always repair leaky faucets right away to avoid paying for wasted water, and also to avoid water damage to your fixtures and pipes.
• Remove and clean your faucet aerators annually to ensure an even flow of water.
• Make sure overflow holes on tubs and vanity are clear and open to prevent water damage to floors and ceilings.

Water Heater

• Before doing any maintenance on your water heater yourself, be sure to shut off the power, and read your owner's manual.
• At least once every three months, drain water from the tank. Over time sediment builds at the bottom of the heater, which can hamper performance, and draining a gallon or so helps remove the sediment.
• You should also periodically inspect your water heater burner. The flame under the heater should appear blue with yellow tips.  If it’s mostly yellow, or if it’s sooty under there, your flue may be clogged, which is a dangerous situation.  Contact a professional to check it out.
• At least once every two years, have your water heater inspected by a service technician. He or she will also check the drain valve for signs of leakage, and the anode rods for corrosion

Toilets

• Toilet leaks can be wasteful and expensive.  At least once a year, check your toilet for leaks by adding a small amount of red food coloring to the tank, and then check the toilet bowl later. If the toilet bowl water is colored red, water is seeping through from the tank. If it is leaking, you should replace the tank ball.

Clogs

• To help prevent clogs, fit all your tubs and shower drains with a strainer that catches hair and soap chips, and clean the strainer regularly.
• Do not rinse fats or cooking oils down the kitchen sink.  Liquid fats solidify in the cold pipes and create clogs.
• Avoid using caustic liquid drain openers (like Drano or Liquid Plumber) on a drain that is completely clogged. The caustic ingredients are trapped in your pipes, and it can severely damage them.  If you can’t snake the drain yourself, contact a professional to do so.

Garbage Disposal

You can extend the life of your garbage disposal by:

• Using plenty of cold water when running it
• Making sure you avoid overloading it
• Never disposing of things like bones or corn husks
• Never using a caustic drain opener.

No Heat Checklist

Nothing works:
Check the thermostat to see it is turned on to the heat position. Make sure the furnace is plugged in or check the circuit breaker.

Burners won't ignite:
Check the igniter or pilot.

Pilot's lit, but the blower does not work:
Does the fan run if put in the fan on position at the thermostat? If not check and see that the switch is on at the thermostat or the furnace is turned on and pluged in. Make sure the blower door is on securely. If you recently changed the filter, make sure the filter is in right and not bumping the blower door.

Insufficient heat:
Check the furnace filter or electronic air cleaner, if dirty, clean or replace. The furnace may need to be cleaned and burners adjusted.

Not heating, but everything working:
Call Bailey Brothers for service.
Prevent the need for emergency service and reduce your utility bills. Have an annual maintenance done. It will add years to the life of your equipment.

No Cooling Checklist

Nothing works:
Check the thermostat to see if it is turned on to the cooling position. Check the furnace plug, does it have power? Make sure the blower door is on right. If you recently changed the furnace filter, make sure it is in right and not bumping the blower door.

Outside unit not working:
Reset the circuit breaker or fuse. Sometimes in hot weather the electric supply can vary, which can interrupt the power to the outside unit. Even if the blower moter in the furnace is running you can still have a tripped breaker or blown fuse at the outside unit.

Unit is blowing warm air:
Check and see if the outside unit is running, if no, follow step 2 above. If outside unit is running, call Bailey Brothers for service.

Insufficient cooling:
Make sure the furnace blower motor is running. If no, follow number 1 above. Check the furnace filter or electronic air cleaner, if dirty, clean or replace it. You should replace these throw away filters or clean you EAC once a month. The outdoor unit may need cleaning.

Not cooling, but everything working:
Call Bailey Brothers for service.

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