Your Home Plumbing Checklist

Your Home Plumbing Checklist

You may be a homeowner, but you’re probably not a licensed plumber. Nevertheless, it’s your responsibility to keep up with the maintenance of your home plumbing systems—to spot problems before they get out of hand, to make DIY repairs as needed, and to call in Vancouver plumbing professionals when need be.

As such, it’s vital that you know what to look for in your home—how to inspect the plumbing systems, and what problems you should keep your eyes open for. Use our handy home plumbing checklist to guide your efforts in maintaining your home plumbing systems!

Visual Inspection

To begin with, note that many of the most common home plumbing problems can be identified on sight, making it highly recommended that you conduct a regular visual inspection of the property. Specifically, watch for:

• Visible signs of leakage on exposed pipes
• Watermarks surrounding pipes that come through the floor
• Corrosion (green or brown stains) on copper and bronze pipes
• Broken or rusted parts in your toilet tank
• Cracked or broken tile floors, which may suggest pooling water beneath
• Mildew and mold near your pipes and plumbing fixtures
• Rust on the hot water heater
• Cracks or fissures in washing machine hoses

System Testing

Of course, you don’t have to be a trained plumber to spot any of those things, and neither do you have to be a trained plumber to test your plumbing systems—like so:

• Check all showers and faucets for any noticeable decrease in water pressure—and take off shower heads to clean out sediment if there does seem to be a drop in pressure
• Test the drainage speed of tubs and sinks; a slow-to-drain tub or sink points toward a clog somewhere in the line
• Flush all the toilets in your home, watching to see that water swirls down the drain and that the bowl is then replenished fairly promptly
• See if you can shake or wobble the toilet; if the whole toilet seems to wiggle, it may mean there is a leak and some possible water damage to address
• Drain the water heater and remove any sediment that you see; a large amount of sediment means the unit is not functioning as intended
• Finally, turn off all faucet handles completely and wait around for a moment to spot potential leaks

Should any of these simple tests reveal problems, you can rest assured that ace Vancouver-area plumbers are only a phone call away!