Welcome to our first newsletter!
Leaves are changing, football season has started, the State Fair of Texas will soon start its run and Texas temperatures will soon be chilly. Since maintaining your plumbing and/or sprinkler system costs far less than a major repair, we would like to share with you, our valued customers, some seasonal tips.
PLUMBING
- Disconnect your garden hoses from outside faucets and drain them. Properly stow them away so they will last another year.
- If possible, turn off the water supply to outside faucets and then drain the piping. Otherwise, install insulated covers on outside faucets for some protection against freezing.
- Check your sewer system. If you have had any issues in the past or would like to have prevention maintenance completed, please give us a call to schedule a sewer line inspection.
- Complete water heater maintenance. Annual maintenance is crucial to extend the life of your water heater. While most water heaters will last anywhere from eight to twelve years, annual maintenance is always a good idea to maintain peak performance and to avoid potential problems before they occur. If HEB Plumbing & Sprinkler can help, please don’t hesitate to call.
SPRINKLER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
The maintenance duties of your fall sprinkler system check-up are identical to what you do in the spring. In our climate, your lawn and landscape can stay growing year round. Your lawn may go slightly dormant once we get into the winter months, but it still needs water.
Decrease the watering time and amount of water that you apply to your lawn and landscape in the fall. The sun is not as intense so your landscape will require less water. The amount of time that you can decrease your watering schedule will vary depending on several factors, but a good rule of thumb is to decrease it about 30%. You can add or subtract from this depending on your individual situation. If you’re not sure then I would start out decreasing the schedule by 25%, monitoring your lawn then adjusting as needed. Other than just decreasing the run-time you will want to start your system to start an hour or two later than in the summer because of Daylight Savings and because the sun is coming up later naturally. Remember, a little bit of maintenance can go a long way in the efficiency of your sprinkler system.
As for me, these coming months are not as busy. So in addition to serving you, this is a time for me to attend Chamber of Commerce meetings and local community events, do continuing education, etc.
Have a Happy Fall everyone!
Kathlyn Smith, Plumbing Lady, Owner & Responsible Master Plumber of HEB Plumbing & Sprinkler