A Practical Checklist for Keeping Your Home’s Water System Maintained
Your home’s water system works hard every day. Faucets, toilets, baths, and the water heater all depend on plumbing that’s hidden from plain sight. Fortunately, keeping that system in good shape doesn’t require you to constantly check the pipes or call your local plumber. With simple habits, you can catch possible problems before they turn into costly repairs.
Open the Cabinets and Look Around
Start under the sinks. Move the cleaning supplies out of the way and check the bottom of the cabinet. Are there water stains? A damp smell? Now, look at the pipes themselves. Is there any peeling material or corrosion around a connection? Next, run the faucet. A drain connection may seem perfectly fine until water is actively moving through it.
Do the same for toilets and any water-connected appliances. Refrigerator supply lines are particularly easy to forget because they’re hidden away and sometimes difficult to get to. Make a habit of checking these from time to time and take note of any changes.
Don’t Get Used to Bad Water Pressure
Any changes to your faucet can tell you quite a bit about your home’s plumbing. If one bathroom faucet is running slow, unscrew and check the aerator. Sediment can collect there and restrict water flow. The same goes for unusually high pressure. Excessive water pressure can put additional stress on supply lines, valves, and appliances.
If all your faucets have a noticeable change in pressure, check the home’s water pressure with a pressure gauge. Once you’ve confirmed it (or you simply don’t have access to a pressure gauge), call your plumber. There may be a larger issue at hand.
Go Look at Your Water Heater
Check around the bottom of your water heater for water and inspect any visible connections for corrosion. Listen, too. Tank-style heaters sometimes start making popping or rumbling sounds as sediment builds up.
Don’t impulsively drain the tank because you read somewhere that it should be done once a year. In addition, flushing a neglected older heater isn’t always a straightforward DIY job.
Instead, check the manufacturer’s instructions for your unit. While you’re there, find the manufacturing date. Knowing you’re dealing with an aging water heater will be helpful in making future repair or replacement decisions.
Keep Up with the Equipment That Treats Your Water
Water treatment equipment requires some due diligence. Filters have replacement intervals that you need to be aware of. Put the replacement date on your calendar or write it directly on the filter housing, if possible. That puts less pressure on you to remember a specific date.
Water softeners need attention as well. Check the brine tank rather than blindly adding another bag of salt whenever it looks low. A hard crust can form over the salt, creating what’s known as a salt bridge. From above, the tank may appear to contain plenty of salt even though the system isn’t drawing it properly.
For other equipment, make sure to keep the manual on hand. Different systems have different cleaning and maintenance requirements.
Know How to Shut Off the Water
Picture a washing machine hose splitting while the machine is filling. This isn’t the best moment to Google where a home’s main shutoff valve might be.
Find yours now.
Depending on your home, it might be in the basement, crawl space, utility area, or near the point where the main supply enters. Make sure it isn’t buried behind holiday decorations or a shelving unit.
Next, find the individual shutoffs for sinks and toilets. Turn the valves only if you know they’re in serviceable condition, as old valves can seize or begin to leak when disturbed. If your shutoff valves need to be fixed or replaced, make sure to do so before disaster strikes.
Keeping your home’s plumbing in good condition comes down to knowing what’s normal and what’s not. Check the areas that are easy to overlook, keep up with maintenance, and learn where your shutoff valve is before you really need it. Above all, don’t put off investigating any changes to your water system. Plumbing problems are easier to address when they’re still small.
Author Bio: John Woodard is the Technical Support and Training Manager at Fresh Water Systems, an industry-leading supplier of residential, commercial, and pharmaceutical water treatment solutions and fluid components. Woodard has 34 years of experience in the water treatment industry, covering many facets, working for manufacturers, dealers and wholesale distributors. He also has a Master Water Specialist certification from the Water Quality Association.