Plumbing Maintenance Checklist For Your San Antonio Home

You likely don’t give much thought on a daily basis to a plumbing maintenance checklist for your San Antonio home’s plumbing system. However, you should if you want to ensure its health, efficiency, and long lifespan. When you engage in regular plumbing maintenance checks and inspections, you can ensure an efficient, smoothly operating plumbing system, not to mention clean, fresh water when you need it, and enough warm water to stay clean.

A properly-functioning plumbing system:

  • Adds convenience to modern living.
  • Gives you access to clean water, vital for good health, hygiene, and well-being.
  • Helps communities accommodate times of water shortages and drought.
  • Boosts water efficiency and home energy savings.
  • Helps avoid unnecessary repairs and extends service life

As a homeowner, protecting this valuable investment is a no-brainer. You can take care of many of the smaller, routine checks, but for the bigger stuff, it’s wise to schedule regular plumbing system maintenance and repair in San Antonio with a trusted professional. Let’s take a look at some of the regular plumbing maintenance checklist tasks you should be concerned about.

Plumbing Maintenance: Daily

Daily maintenance is critical because it helps to prevent common occurrences such as clogs. This happens to be one of the top plumbing issues plaguing homeowners, yet many people ignore the dangers of clogs. They try their best to unclog the superficial cause, or they live with a slow-draining shower, for example.

But these situations are much more than annoying nuisances. They can actually decrease the expected lifespan of your pipes due to all that added pressure and stress. Slow drains may seem harmless enough, but they should be thoroughly cleared before they turn into a full-on blockage. Preventing blockages before they worsen is the best course of action.

Here are some ideas of what you can do on a daily basis to ensure the health of your plumbing system, room by room.

In the Kitchen

  • Refrain from pouring grease or oil down the kitchen sink drain. This includes butter, and cooking oils and fats, as they will all congeal in the pipes, blocking water flow.
  • Switch your water and garbage disposal on before adding food.
  • Run the dishwasher at night in an effort to conserve hot water and help to maintain stable water pressure through the day.

In the Bathroom

  • Refrain from using an excessive amount of bath oils; this will keep shower and sink drains free-flowing.
  • Install screens over your drains to make sure hair doesn’t slide in.
  • Flush only toilet paper and human waste down the toilet.
  • Wait 10 minutes between taking showers to ensure proper hot water and pressure throughout the day.
  • Refrain from using chemical clog removal products, which are known to corrode pipes.

Plumbing Maintenance: Weekly

Inspect your pipes once a week to keep small problems from blossoming into larger, more expensive ones.

  • Check for the presence of leaks; check under all sinks for signs of mold growth and moisture.
  • Test sink and shower drains for speed and drainage. If you notice bubbles with the draining of the water, this means you have a slow drain. A full swirl is a sign of a healthy drain.
  • Check that water is not coming out of the valves or handles.

Did you know that small leaks can waste about a trillion gallons of water per year across the country? They may seem harmless, but they can waste a lot of your home’s water, not to mention your water bill will be sky high. Why pay more than you have to? This is why you should regularly check:

  • Faucets
  • Loose pipe fittings
  • Pipe valves
  • Dripping shower heads
  • Worn toilet flappers

If you notice any leaks, get them repaired immediately to save money and annoyance.

Seasonal Maintenance

Because the change of seasons can actually impact your plumbing, it’s important to be aware of seasonal maintenance tasks, from preparing for winter’s wrath to clearing gutters of debris.

Autumn

During fall, both leaves and the temperatures start to drop. It’s time to prepare your pipes for winter days by concentrating on your outdoor spigots and water hoses. Disconnect the hoses from all outdoor spigots and store them in a safe, dry place. Check outdoor faucets for any leaks. Then cover all outdoor spigots and add insulation to pipes located in any unheated areas.

Spring

  • Check for slow leaks around your San Antonio home.
  • Check pipes for puddle accumulation or watermarks.
  • Check your dishwasher and washing machine for worn, cracked, or bulging hoses.
  • Look for leaks in your toilet bowl and tank.
  • Clear gutters and downspouts of debris.
  • Turn on outdoor spigots to ensure they don’t leak.

Summer

  • Get your septic system inspected and pumped if needed.
  • Remove trees that sport large, invasive roots that could result in future plumbing problems.
  • Clean your sprinkler system heads and check for proper operation.

Book an Inspection With Plumb Star Today

If you’re having a problem with any of the above common plumbing issues, or you want to schedule a regular inspection to ensure a properly functioning system, contact us at (830) 981-8702. We are San Antonio’s trusted source for residential plumbing repair, handling anything from water heaters and softeners to garbage disposals and faucets.

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