A Homeowner’s Guide for Taking Care of a Plumbing System

Many homeowners take a break-fix approach to their houses’ plumbing systems. That approach often costs more money and creates more inconveniences in the end. Homeowners should be proactive when it comes to taking care of their home’s plumbing systems, and here are several simple ideas for getting started.

Manage Water Hardness

About 85% of U.S. homes have some level of water hardness, and with water hardness comes unexpected costs. Those expenses include plumbing maintenance, decreased energy efficiency, and extra detergent.

Test your water to determine hardness. If you have moderately hard water, consider local anti-scale devices to protect major water-using appliances, such as water heaters and dishwashers. If you have hard water or worse, install a whole-house water softener. It will protect your pipes, valves, fixtures, and major appliances. You’ll also enjoy better water quality for showers and cooking.

Annual Plumbing Inspections

Schedule a plumbing inspection at least once a year even if you don’t notice anything wrong. A plumber can identify maintenance issues long before they escalate into serious problems that are expensive to repair. It will allow you to deal with normal wear and tear on time. You’ll know where and why your system is no longer up to code. Homeowners who schedule regular inspections are also much less likely to deal with major plumbing problems, such as with their sewer lines and slab plumbing.

Annual Water Heater Maintenance

Not scheduling annual water heater maintenance is perhaps the most common plumbing mistake homeowners make. Regular tune-ups will lower your operating costs and extend the life of your equipment. Traditional water heaters require a multipoint inspection, flushing of the tank, and, occasionally, replacement of the sacrificial anode rod. On-demand systems require annual or even more frequent descaling along with filter cleaning or replacement.

Winterization

Prepare your plumbing for the cold months whether you’ll remain in the home or not. If you’ll be away for the winter, schedule professional winterization. Otherwise, you can likely perform the winterization yourself. For outdoor fixtures, shut off the water supply, disconnect any hoses, drain the faucets, and install faucet covers. Inside, check all pipe insulation and replace any that shows signs of wear. This includes insulation on pipes from the water heater and any pipes near exterior walls. When you’ll be away for 48 hours or more, put your water heater in vacation mode. If you don’t have that mode, you can set the thermostat to the lowest supported temperature.

Proactive Drain Cleaning

Don’t wait for drain problems to worsen. Call for drain cleaning at the first signs of trouble. That includes slow drainage, unpleasant smells, gurgling toilets, and so forth. Note that if you experience problems with multiple drains, it may be sewer or septic-related.

Upgrade to Low-Flow Fixtures

High-efficiency bathroom and kitchen fixtures can dramatically reduce how much water your household consumes. You don’t have to upgrade all at once. Instead, each time you need to replace a fixture, choose a low-flow model instead. Consider that a high-efficiency toilet can save the average U.S. household about $2,000 over its life. Other ways to save include high-efficiency faucets and showerheads.