Preventive Plumbing Maintenance and Inspections

Preventive Plumbing Maintenance and Inspections: Keep Your Plumbing in Top Shape

Have you ever walked in your house and seen water on your walls, or have you ever gotten a musty smell underneath your sink? Problems associated with plumbing usually happen at the most unexpected times. They are quite hectic, dirty and costly to repair. But what would happen if you could prevent most of the plumbing disasters just by monitoring your pipes and fixtures until something happens?

That is why there is preventive plumbing maintenance and regular inspection. You service your car, get your heating and cooling systems serviced, well, the same thing applies to your plumbing.

This article will tell you why preventive plumbing maintenance matters so much, what the plumbing inspection entails and how a simple routine can keep you safe and on a budget.

What Is Preventive Plumbing Maintenance?

Preventive plumbing maintenance entails doing things to make your plumbing system go along as smoothly as possible before disasters occur. Instead of reactive, it is proactive. Instead of being caught up by a leak or a clog ruining your day, you would be able to identify problems beforehand.

There are several components of the plumbing system, including the pipes, drains, fixtures, water heaters, valves, and seals. As time goes on, all these components become worn out. Water leaks may occur, the mineral build up may happen and slowness of drains may occur. In the absence of regular checks, these minor problems can develop into big ones.

Why Preventive Plumbing Maintenance Matters

Many homeowners think plumbing lasts forever if it looks fine on the surface. But much of your plumbing is hidden behind walls and under floors. You can’t always see when something is starting to fail.

Here are just a few reasons why preventive plumbing maintenance and inspections matter:

• Save Money: A burst pipe or a major leak can cost thousands in repairs and water damage. Finding problems early is much cheaper.
• Protect Your Property: Water damage can ruin floors, walls, and belongings. Mold and mildew can develop within days of a leak.
• Keep Your Water Clean: Old pipes and build-up in fixtures can affect water quality and taste.
• Avoid Emergencies: Plumbing emergencies always occur at the most inopportune moments; on a holiday, at the weekend or overnight. Regularized checks will avoid unanticipated catastrophes.
• Extend System Life: Keeping your pipes, water heater and fittings well-maintained will help prolong its life, thereby saving you the cost of replacing them.

What Happens During a Plumbing Inspection?

An expert plumbing inspection addresses the rest of your house’s water system. At Lifetime Plumbing, we have a checklist that we abide by to ensure that we leave no stone unturned. These are some of the most common steps:

Visual Checks

• Examine the exposed pipes to check whether there is corrosion or leakage, or damage.
• Examine faucets, toilets and showers; check them to see signs of wear or dripping.
• Inspect any visible drainpipes under sinks to make sure that they are in good condition.
• Test caulking and caustics around the piping in tubs and sinks.

Water Pressure Test

• Determine the water pressure by measuring, and it should be at a safe level.
• The effect of high pressure destroys pipes and fixtures.
• A pressure that is low can be the indication of clogging and secret water leaks inside pipes.

Leak Detection

• Use the assistance of such tools like moisture meters to detect unseen leaks.
• Peek under sinks and around commodes.
• Water heaters and washing machine fittings should be checked and slow drips over-inspected.

Drain and Sewer Line Check

• Look for slow drains that could signal clogs further down the line.
• Inspect the sewer cleanout to spot any signs of backup.
• If needed, run a camera through drain lines to check for blockages or cracks.

Water Heater Inspection

• Visually check the tank with regards to rust or corrosion or leakages.
• Inspect temperature settings so as to avoid scalding or overheating.
• Safety test pressure relief valve.

Valve and Shutoff Test

• Ensure that sink under-sink shutoff valves and toilet-behind are in good working condition.
• Check the principle shutoff valve so that you know how to shut off the water in case of emergency.

How Often Should You Schedule Plumbing Maintenance?

It is the recommendation of most plumbing professionals that a thorough inspection is performed once per year. Dwellers whose houses are older or that are close to mature trees may require more frequent regular checks.

A few of your plumbing systems can be checked once in a while:

• Spring: Make sure there are no leaks after winter, check sump pumps and clean the gutters. Check this article to find out more about Spring Maintenance.
• Fall: Drain your water heater, winterize outdoor water fixtures and cover water pipes in the winter.

Preventive Plumbing Maintenance You Can Do Yourself

Although the only way to uncover any surprise issues is to hire a professional inspection, you can do a lot yourself:

• Look under Sinks: Inspect monthly looking under sinks for moisture or small dripping.
• Check Faucets and Toilets: You may be hearing running water or drips which you have never heard before.
• Clean Drains: Hair and scrap food bits will be trapped using strainers. Keep out of any chemical drain cleaners as well as refer to them to destroy pipes.
• Flush Your Water Heater: Open the drain valve six months and drain it of several gallons of water.
• Watch your Water Bill: An unusual spike could mean a leak.
• Know Where You Turn Off: Be sure the people in your house know how to shut the water off in case of emergency.

Special Considerations for Older Homes

In case the home is over 40 years old, more attention should be paid to preventive plumbing maintenance. Old houses are likely to possess galvanized steel pipes, or old drain lines, which usually corrode and get clogged.

On a yearly basis, a check up can assist you in older homes:

• Determine pipes that can be at the life end.
• Plan early to have replacements lest something fails.
• Replace older fixtures and valves with newer, more problem-free ones.

How Preventive Plumbing Maintenance Protects Your Investment

A plumbing system is one of the necessities you make in your home. You depend on it to get you through your daily activities, without even thinking much of it. The added expenses accumulate quickly when things go wrong.

Take such examples:

• A mere leakage of your toilet may cost you hundreds of gallons of water wasted monthly and an increased bill.
• A ruptured pipe can fill a room full of water in as little as a few minutes at a cost of thousands of dollars.
• An unstable water heater may leak and destroy the water floors without your noticing it.

Preventive plumbing maintenance assists in keeping you at peace. It will give you assurance that your plumbing is in its best state and any problem detected is at an early stage.

Benefits of Working with Lifetime Plumbing

By giving Lifetime Plumbing a call to coordinate a plumbing inspection, you receive:

• Efficient, tested and professional plumbers, who take their own time to explain they find.
• Lines and lines of reports with all concerns and suggestions.
• Clear prices, no surprises.
• Giving priority to any work needed repairs.

And we are not in the cult of scare tactics, or the art of upselling. We are here to assist you in keeping your plumbing in optimal, safe working shape.

You should not wait until a plumbing disaster occurs to teach you the value of cleaning up.

Contact Lifetime Plumbing to book your preventive plumbing inspection today.

We are prepared to enable you to guard your home, your wallet and your serenity.