Plumbing checklists

Before hiring: confirm the license number on your state board's public lookup, confirm liability insurance and workers' compensation with a certificate sent directly from the insurer, get the scope in writing including exclusions, confirm who pulls the permit, and confirm the labor warranty term separately from any manufacturer parts warranty.

Before buying a home: run the meter test, check under every sink for staining, note the age on the water heater data plate, run every fixture simultaneously to check pressure, check for signs of past repairs in the ceiling below bathrooms, and for any older home on a sewer connection, pay for a camera inspection at $125–$750. That last one finds problems a standard home inspection is not looking for.

Annually: exercise every shutoff valve, do the meter test, inspect washing machine hoses, check water pressure with a gauge, clear aerators, and confirm the water heater's age against its expected 8–12 year life.

Before winter: disconnect hoses, drain exterior bibs, insulate pipe in unheated spaces, and confirm you know where the main shutoff is and that it turns.

How to choose

Ask for the insurance certificate from the insurer

A PDF forwarded by the contractor can be out of date or edited. Certificates sent directly by the agency can't be.

Write the exclusions into the contract

"Drywall repair not included" belongs in the document, not in a verbal aside. Every ambiguity resolves as a change order.

Add a sewer camera to any older-home purchase

At $125–$750 it's the highest-value optional inspection in a home purchase for anything on a municipal sewer with mature trees.

Keep the checklist with the water heater

Tape the maintenance record to the tank. The next owner — or the next plumber — will thank you, and it's evidence for warranty claims.