Plumbing Maintenance Every Homeowner Should Understand

Walk through your home and identify each fixture shutoff valve — the small valves beneath sinks, behind toilets, and near appliances like your washing machine and dishwasher. Turn each valve fully off and back on once a year to confirm it moves freely. A valve that hasn't been operated in years can seize, leaving you unable to stop a leak quickly.

Also locate your main shutoff valve, usually near the water meter or where the main line enters the house. Make sure every adult in the household knows where it is.

Open cabinet doors under every sink and look at the braided or plastic supply lines connecting the shutoff valves to the faucet. Check for bulging, corrosion, or white mineral deposits — any of these signal a line that may be near failure. Run your fingers along visible pipe joints and look for dried water stains on the cabinet floor, which indicate a slow drip that went unnoticed.

Supply lines are typically recommended for replacement every 5–10 years regardless of visible condition, especially if they are older rubber lines rather than stainless-steel braided.

Remove the toilet tank lid and listen. A toilet that runs continuously after flushing, or that refills on its own without being flushed (called phantom flushing), typically has a worn flapper — the rubber seal at the bottom of the tank. Flappers are inexpensive and straightforward to replace without special tools.

To confirm a flapper leak, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank. Wait 10–15 minutes without flushing. If color appears in the bowl, the flapper is leaking and should be replaced.

Remove and clean drain stoppers in bathroom sinks and tubs monthly — hair and soap buildup accumulate quickly. For a slow-draining sink, start with a cup plunger before reaching for any drain cleaner. If the drain is still slow, a hand drain snake can break up or retrieve a clog deeper in the trap arm.

Avoid chemical drain cleaners as a first resort. They can degrade older pipes, particularly those made from PVC or older metal, and they rarely remove the clog entirely — they just temporarily clear it.

Look for moisture or rust staining around the base of your water heater tank. A small amount of condensation during cold weather is normal; pooled water or rust is not. Check that the temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve — a safety device on the side of the tank — has a discharge pipe pointing toward the floor. Do not attempt to test the T&P valve on older units without consulting a plumber, as corroded valves can fail to re-seat after being opened.

The U.S. Department of Energy generally recommends setting the water heater thermostat to 120°F to balance safety, energy use, and scalding risk.

Before freezing temperatures arrive, disconnect and drain outdoor hoses, and shut off any interior valves serving outdoor spigots (known as frost-free or sillcock valves). Open the outdoor spigot slightly to allow residual water to drain out after shutting the interior valve.

Pipes in unheated spaces — garages, crawl spaces, exterior walls — are most vulnerable to freezing. Foam pipe insulation sleeves are a low-cost measure to protect exposed runs. If you're leaving the home for an extended period in winter, keep the thermostat set no lower than 55°F.