Plumbing checklists
The four plumbing checklists worth keeping are: hiring and vetting a contractor, inspecting plumbing before buying a home, annual maintenance, and pre-winter freeze prep. Every one of them starts with the same free step - the EPA's two-hour water meter test, which detects hidden leaks without any tools or cost.
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.
Choosing plumbing checklists
The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.
- Ask for the insurance certificate from the insurer A PDF forwarded by the contractor can be out of date or edited.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.
All plumbing checklists
Plumbing Pre-Project Checklist
Plumbing Hiring Checklist
Plumbing Maintenance Checklist
Plumbing Safety Checklist
Where these figures come from
Sources last checked
- EPA WaterSense - Fix a Leak Week · retrieved 2026-07-25
- HomeGuide - Hydro Jetting Cost (2026) · retrieved 2026-07-25
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