Plumbing maintenance is essential for any household, and the statistics show that most people do not maintain their plumbing. According to the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), only 15% of homeowners perform regular inspections of their plumbing systems. While ASHI does not recommend that you perform your own inspections, it is worthwhile to ensure that your home has been well-maintained by a professional.
Do you know the average person spends about $500 yearly on plumbing repairs and $1,000 yearly on water-related appliances? A leaky faucet can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water per year!
In the United States, there are about 7 million burst pipes every year. That’s enough water to fill more than 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
If you have a leaky toilet, it could be wasting up to 200 gallons of water each day!
So, if you are facing many plumbing issues, it’s worthwhile to prepare a preventative maintenance checklist. This checklist will help you quickly fix the plumbing problems before they turn into something bigger and damage your entire system.
But, wondering, “What should you include in your plumbing preventive maintenance checklist?” Then don’t worry.
A plumbing expert in Mooresville, NC – Wicker Trade Service Inc is here to help.
In this hand guide, we will help you understand what you should put in your plumbing checklist and what should be best for the plumbing professionals.
So without wasting another minute, let’s take a look.
Benefits Of Plumbing Maintenance Checklist
A plumbing maintenance checklist is a great way to ensure your plumbing system works optimally. This will help you save money, time, and effort.
So, before we proceed to the actual preventive maintenance checklist, let’s find out some of the benefits of a plumbing maintenance checklist:
- It helps to keep your plumbing system in good condition.
- It prevents leaks and clogs in your pipes.
- It helps to prevent damage caused by corrosion.
- It ensures your pipes are not damaged by freezing or bursting during cold weather.
- It reduces the risk of water damage and mold in your home.
- It saves money on emergency repairs.
- It reduces the risk of injury to you or your family members.
- It keeps your home looking great!
What to Include in Your Maintenance Checklist?
When you’re looking to keep your home in great shape, one of the most important things you can do is take care of its plumbing. This means that you should be on the lookout for any issues with your plumbing—no matter how small—and fix them before they become more serious.
However, the plumbing system in your home is a complex, interconnected network of pipes and valves that is responsible for carrying water and waste out of your home. As such, it requires routine maintenance to keep running smoothly.
This section will teach you how to perform a simple plumbing inspection on your own and identify potential plumbing problems before they turn into serious issues. You’ll also learn how to prevent problems from occurring in the first place by following an easy maintenance schedule.
When you reach the end of this checklist, you’ll be able to:
* Perform basic tests on your plumbing system
* Identify potential problems before they occur
* Follow a basic plumbing maintenance schedule
So, here is the ultimate commercial plumbing preventative maintenance checklist to help you keep your plumbing systems running smoothly:
Check for leaks.
Leaks can occur anywhere, but if you don’t know where they’re coming from, it’s hard to fix them. Look for drips and water stains that might indicate a leak in your home. Also, turn off all water fixtures and use a flashlight to look for leaks under sinks and toilets. To prevent leaks from severe damage, you can also sign up for an annual plumbing agreement with a professional plumbing company that can regularly check leaks and takes steps to save you from high repair costs.
Test water pressure.
Low water pressure can cause pipes to clog more easily and lead to water waste—which means higher utility bills! To test your water pressure, turn on both hot and cold taps at once, then let the faucets run until the pressure stabilizes. If your pressure is lower than 80 pounds per square inch (PSI), call a professional plumber in Mooresville, NC, to have it checked out.
Clean faucet aerators.
Aerator is the filter that cleans the water before it comes out of your faucet. Every few weeks, clean the aerator with a paper clip, toothpick, or pipe cleaner.
Check the toilet for leaks.
To check for leaks in your toilet, put some food coloring into the tank and then check to see if any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes or so. Or, lift up the lid on your toilet tank and check inside for signs of leakage (water stains). If you see any, wipe it up immediately and replace the rubber flapper on top of the tank if necessary. If you don’t find any leaks in your toilet tank, check that all bolts are tight around its base and that there are no cracks in its bowl where water can escape through. If there are cracks or worn areas, contact a toilet repair plumber right away!
Inspect toilet components.
Check the flapper and fill valve to ensure they are working properly and are not cracked or damaged. Also, inspect the base of your toilet to ensure it is level, as this will prevent water from leaking into your basement or other areas of your home.
Clean showerheads and faucets.
Over time, buildup from hard water can accumulate on showerheads and faucets, making them less effective at spraying water at desired pressure levels. Clean these fixtures regularly with vinegar or baking soda to keep them working properly!
Test drains.
When you flip on the sink, does water come out? If not, you may need to call a plumber. If you have an older home with galvanized pipes, they might be corroding, which means they could break at any moment. Checking your drains is one of the easiest things you can do to keep your plumbing system running in a smooth manner.
Inspect the water heater.
The life of your water heater depends on how well it’s maintained. If you notice that it takes longer than usual for hot water to reach all the taps in your home, or if there is a funny smell coming from it, then it may be time to replace it.
Clean out the drip tray.
The drip tray under your sink or bathtub collects water from faucets and showers so that it can be safely disposed of without causing damage to your flooring or cabinets. Make sure to clean out the drip tray each fall so that it doesn’t overflow onto your kitchen or bathroom floors during the winter months!
Insulate exposed pipes.
Insulate your exposed pipes to prevent them from freezing. If the pipes have already frozen, thaw them using a hairdryer or heat lamp. If you don’t have these tools and are unable to thaw the pipe, call a professional plumber immediately. You could end up with a burst pipe which will cause serious damage to your home!
Test sump pump.
Sump pumps are designed to remove water from your basement, but they can cause more harm than good if they aren’t working properly! Make sure you test your sump pump and replace any worn parts as needed so it’s ready for action during the next big storm.
Inspect water supply lines.
Inspect your water supply lines regularly, paying special attention to the valves, faucets, and shower heads. Make sure they are all working properly, and if there are any cracks or leaks in the lines, have them repaired immediately.
Change filters regularly.
Change your air filter at least once every three months, and check the filters on your HVAC system every other month to make sure they are clean and functioning properly. You should also change your furnace filter every three months during winter months when you run your furnace more frequently than during warmer seasons of the year (but if your unit was installed within two years, then it still meets federal standards).
Cleaning gutters and downspouts.
The majority of water damage that happens in your home is the result of clogs in your gutters. This is because the water that collects in the gutter isn’t able to make its way to the ground where it belongs—instead, it just pools up there, causing all sorts of issues with mold and mildew growth. Keeping gutters clean allows them to do their job properly, which is to remove excess water from your property. Gutters with leaves or other debris can cause some serious problems for your foundation!
Maintain garbage disposal.
If you’ve got garbage disposal, it’s important to keep it clean and in good working order.
Garbage disposals are designed to be used with food waste, so they’ll eventually get clogged if you don’t use them correctly. Even if you don’t have a garbage disposal, you can still run ice cubes through your drain to help clear out blockages.
To keep your disposal running smoothly:
Use cold water when running the disposal; hot water can corrode the metal parts of the unit and cause leaks or breaks in parts of the unit that aren’t made for hot water use.
Don’t put anything more than scraps down your disposal—too many things will clog up the blades and prevent them from spinning. This includes bones, fibrous materials like celery strings, or even eggshells! If you want to get rid of those things, try putting them in a compost bin instead.
Run your disposal regularly—every time you do dishes!
Check your washing machine hoses.
Sometimes, a leaky hose can be the source of a lot of problems. It could be that your washing machine is leaking water onto the floor, or maybe the pressure from your water heater is causing it to push water through the hose and out of the pipe. Either way, it’s important to check those hoses periodically to make sure they’re in good condition.
Test backflow prevention devices.
Backflow prevention devices are a critical part of your plumbing system, but they need to be maintained to keep your home safe. Make sure to check the pressure on your backflow device and ensure that it’s working properly.
Clean septic system.
Your septic system is a crucial part of your plumbing, but it can also get clogged or damaged if you don’t take care of it regularly. The easiest way to make sure that your septic system is working correctly is by cleaning out the tank every few years—but there are other steps you can take to ensure that your septic system is in good shape!
Inspect outdoor faucets.
This is the best place to start. Inspect all of your outdoor faucets, including those on the front porch, back deck, and exterior of your home. Make sure they’re in good shape and ready to go.
Maintain water softener.
If your home has a water softener installed, it’s worth checking regularly to make sure that it is working properly. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium from the water supply before reaching your home’s plumbing system. To make sure it works perfectly, you can do this by replacing the salt every few months or so, depending on how much water you use at home each day (check with your local hardware store for more information about how much salt you should be using).
Clean out drains.
Every couple of months, run hot water down every drain in your house for a few minutes, allowing it to sit for 10 seconds after each flush. This will clear out any debris that could be causing issues with your plumbing system and prevent clogs from developing.
Check for water leaks in crawl spaces or basements.
Checking for leaks is one of the most important maintenance tasks you can do to ensure that your plumbing system is working efficiently. Leaky pipes can cause damage to your home’s foundation and can waste a lot of water—and money!
You can check for water leaks in the following places:
– Crawl spaces or basements
– Around toilets and faucets
– In the yard (where there are no plants)
Schedule professional inspections.
When it comes to plumbing, it’s best to let the experts handle it. A professional plumber in Mooresville, NC, will be able to spot any problems or issues before they become major problems, so make sure you schedule annual plumbing inspections with a trusted local plumber who will inspect your entire system for leaks, clogs, and more.
Sign up for Plumbing Service Agreements and Maintenance to Improve the Efficiency of Your Plumbing Systems!
We know that you’re busy, and we want to make your life easier. That’s why Wicker Trade Service Inc offers a variety of plumbing service agreements and maintenance plans.
Wicker Trade Service Inc is a plumbing service company in Mooresville, NC, that has been in business since 2002. We provide a wide variety of services for both residential and commercial properties.
With our Plumbing Service Agreements in Mooresville, NC, you can rest assured knowing that your plumbing systems will be well taken care of by our expert plumbers!
When you sign up for our service agreements, you can rest assured that your plumbing system will be well-maintained and in good working order. We will visit your home on a regular basis to perform routine inspections of all parts of your plumbing system, including:
- Pipes and fixtures repair and replacement
- Faucets and faucet valves repair and replacement
- Toilet repair and installation
- Drains and drain spouts
- Plumbing repair and replacement
- Drain cleaning
- Water heater repair and installation
- Leak detection
- Gas lines installed or repaired
- Garbage disposal installation
- Sump pumps (if applicable)
- And many more…
We will also check for leaks and make any necessary repairs before they become an issue or can cause damage to other parts of your home. This helps us keep costs down by preventing problems from getting worse over time!
We are dedicated to providing our clients with quality products and services at affordable prices. We offer free estimates on all jobs with no hidden fees or charges. All work is guaranteed for one year on labor and parts.
We are proud to be rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau with no complaints filed against us in the last three years.
And if something goes wrong? No problem! Our team is available 24/7/365 for emergency repairs.
So whether you need some routine maintenance or an emergency fix, we can help!
Call our plumbing experts today at (704) 340-4810 to sign up for an annual plumbing service agreement!