Plumbing Protection Checklist

Home maintenance? A full-time job. Plumbing is just one of the many parts of your dwelling that need to be kept up throughout the year. Below is a checklist that will help you discover plumbing problems as well as potential plumbing problems that should be addressed before they become a real issue. Following the checklist will help you with preventative care and maintenance of your house’s plumbing.

This doesn’t only cover the plumbing system that operates toilets, sinks, showers, and bathtubs in your home; it also covers laundry facilities in your dwelling for your washer, utility sinks, and drains that may be installed.

❏ Look for signs of leaks in exposed pipes, where pipes run into the walls or the foundation of your home. A leak can be found around puddles of water and watermarks. ❏ Look for signs of corrosion. Corrosion of pipes can cause leaks and bad pipe connections if not corrected. A sign of corrosion would be green stains around brass and copper fittings or on shutoff valves, and yellow or orange stains on old steel pipe.. ❏ Test water pressure. Water pressure is how much force water comes out of faucets and showerheads. Low water pressure can be a sign of sediment build up in the faucet or shower head. It may also be a sign of a problem with the water line. ❏ Remove the showerhead to look for any sediment that may have collected in it. This may be a cause of lower the water pressure. ❏ Check each sink, shower and tub drain for the speed of drainage. Slow drainage usually indicates a clog in the drain or a blocked vent pipe. Your drains should have a full swirl when draining. If bubbles appear when water is draining, this is usually a sign of a problem. If there are gurgling sounds, there may be venting problems ❏ Check the flushing handle and inside parts of the toilets. Flush each toilet to make sure that it is flushing properly. Check the parts inside the tank of the toilet to see if any parts are broken, rusted, or missing. Make sure the toilet water does not continue to run after flushing and make sure there is no sign of water on the floor around the toilet. ❏ Look for cracked tiles in the shower, around sinks, or near water pipes in the residence. Loose or hollow tiles can be an indication that there is, or was, a leak that has caused rotting underneath or behind the tile. Water that goes through the cracks will look like a plumbing leak on the ceiling below. ❏ Inspect to see if tub, sink or toilet caulking is coming off. ❏ Inspect for mildew, which is caused by standing water that may have dried up. ❏ Push and pull gently on each toilet to see if it rocks or moves. ❏ Look inside the burner chamber of the home’s water heater. check if there are any flakes of rust inside of the chamber. Also, check the flame of the water heater, which should be a blue color with no signs of yellow in the flame. If you see a yellow color, this may mean that the jets need to be cleaned. ❏ You could drain the water heater to remove sediment that may have built up in it. ❏ Turn on all of the faucets in your residence and see if there is any water coming out of the handles and valves. ❏ Check the washing machine hoses to make sure that there aren’t any cracks and that the hoses are not brittle or leaking. Washing machine leaks are common insurance claims. The best hoses are braided stainless, or other high pressure material. Use this checklist on an annual or bi-annual basis, and check your home for plumbing problems or potential plumbing problems. Addressing these problems on a regular basis can help you to prevent the problems from becoming worse. This can save you expensive repairs in the future.