Plumbing Maintenance Checklist: What to Do Daily, Weekly & Seasonally

You expect your pipes to deliver fresh, clean water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and showering. Then, you want smoothly flowing drains to carry wastewater away. To promote these outcomes, you should maintain your home plumbing system daily, weekly, and seasonally. Follow this plumbing maintenance checklist to keep you on track.

Daily Plumbing Maintenance

• Address slow drains as soon as you notice them. By acting fast, you can prevent a minor clog from turning into a major obstruction.
• Avoid using chemical cleaners to clear clogged drains. Instead, reach for a plunger or a drain snake.
• Keep cooking grease and hard, fibrous, or stringy foods out of the garbage disposal. Then, run cold water for 15 seconds after using the disposal to help food particles flow down the drain.
• Install mesh screens over sink and shower drains to catch hair and other debris before they can cause a clog.
• Don’t use your toilet as a trash can. Instead, only flush toilet paper and human waste.

Weekly Plumbing Maintenance

• Check under sinks for signs of plumbing leaks. These include standing water, watermarks, musty odors, and mold growth.
• Check every faucet for leaky handles or valves.
• Clean the lint trap in your washing machine.
• Look around the toilet for standing water or soft flooring that could signify a leak.

Seasonal Plumbing Maintenance

Changing weather can affect your plumbing. To prevent problems, follow the proper checklist for the season.

Cold-Weather Plumbing Maintenance

• Disconnect and store garden hoses.
• Shut off valves connected to outdoor spigots if your home has this feature.
• Install an insulating jacket on your water heater.
• Insulate exposed pipes to prevent freezing and help water heat up faster at the tap.
• Flush the water heater to remove sediment from the bottom of the tank.
• Test your sump pump.

Warm-Weather Plumbing Maintenance

• Check for slow leaks around the house. The easiest way to do this is to read your water meter, refrain from using water for two hours, and check the meter again. If the reading changes, you know there’s a leak.
• Pour a quart of water down any drains you don’t use very often to refill the trap and prevent sewer odors from entering your home.
• Check behind your washing machine, dishwasher, and icemaker for cracked, bulging, or worn-out hoses. Replace any you find with durable, braided steel versions.
• Consider removing trees with problematic roots before they invade your sewer line.
• If you have a septic system, pump the tank every two to five years.

Are you too busy to worry about plumbing maintenance? Do you need help completing any of the tasks on this checklist? Turn to Mike Counsil Plumbing for help. Our pipe maintenance services are second to none. To schedule a visit, please call us at 408-916-1226 or contact us online. We have proudly served San Jose and the surrounding South Bay area since 1994.