Homeowner resources
Plumbing maintenance & prevention
Most expensive plumbing repairs start as something small and ignorable. These are the habits and checks that keep small things small.
Everyday habits
- Only flush human waste and toilet paper. Wipes marked 'flushable' are a leading cause of blockages.
- Keep fats, oils, and grease out of the sink — they solidify further down the line.
- Use drain screens in showers and kitchen sinks and empty them regularly.
- Run plenty of cold water while using a garbage disposal, and keep fibrous and starchy waste out of it.
- Deal with a drip when it's a drip. It never gets cheaper.
Every few months
- Look under every sink and around the water heater for damp, staining, or corrosion.
- Read the water meter with everything off, wait an hour, and read it again to check for hidden leaks.
- Run water briefly in rarely-used fixtures so their traps don't dry out and let sewer gas in.
- Test the sump pump by checking the float moves freely and the discharge line outside is clear.
- Check washing machine and dishwasher hoses for bulges, cracks, or rust at the fittings.
Seasonal
- Before winter: disconnect and drain garden hoses, shut off and drain outdoor spigots where fitted, and make sure pipes in unheated spaces are insulated.
- In a cold snap: keep the heat on even when away, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, and know where the main shut-off is before you need it.
- Before heavy-rain season: confirm the sump pump runs and consider whether a battery backup makes sense for your home.
- Annually: have a licensed plumber inspect the water heater, including the relief valve and, on gas units, the venting.
Worth having a professional do
Maintenance that pays for itself, but isn't homeowner work.
- Water heater service, including flushing sediment and checking safety controls.
- Camera inspection of the main sewer line in older homes or where blockages recur.
- Annual service on gas appliances, including combustion and venting checks.
- Backflow preventer testing where your jurisdiction requires it.
- Whole-home pressure check — pressure that's too high quietly shortens the life of everything.
Problems this prevents
- Frozen or burst pipeNo water at a fixture in cold weather, usually with a frozen section in an unheated space. The risk is what happens when it thaws.High
- Clogged drainWater drains slowly or not at all from a sink, tub, or shower. Often local to one fixture — sometimes a sign of something larger.Medium
- Water heater repairLeaks, noises, discolored water, or a unit near the end of its life — and the repair-or-replace decision that usually follows.High
- Sump pump problemsThe pump won't run, runs constantly, or cycles strangely — and the basement depends on it working.High