Plumbing maintenance

Most plumbing failures give warning. A water heater usually weeps at a fitting before the tank goes. A supply line usually stains a cabinet floor before it bursts. A main line usually backs up once before it backs up badly. Maintenance is mostly about looking in the right places twice a year rather than doing anything technical.

The high-value checks: under every sink, behind the toilet, around the base of the water heater, at the washing machine hoses, and at any visible pipe joint in a basement or crawlspace. Add the two-hour water meter test to catch what you can't see. That's a 20-minute walkthrough that catches the majority of preventable claims.

Be skeptical of maintenance plans sold as memberships. Some are genuinely good value — priority scheduling, waived diagnostic fees, a real annual inspection. Others are a recurring charge for a 15-minute visual that generates upsell recommendations. Ask exactly what's performed, in writing, and what the plan actually discounts.

One honest caution: flushing a water heater that has never been flushed and is well past 10 years old can occasionally cause a drain valve to fail to reseat or expose a leak that sediment was plugging. That's not a reason to never flush — it's a reason to flush on schedule from the start, and to be prepared for the outcome if you're starting late on an old tank.

How to choose

Do the two-hour meter test twice a year

Free, no tools, and it catches invisible leaks before they become drywall damage. Put it on the calendar with your smoke alarm batteries.

Exercise every shutoff valve annually

Main valve, toilet stops, sink stops, water heater inlet. Turn each fully off and back on. A valve that no longer works is a repair you want to discover on a Saturday, not during a flood.

Replace rubber washing machine hoses

Rubber supply hoses fail. Braided stainless hoses are a cheap upgrade and one of the highest-return plumbing purchases in the house.

Track your water heater's age

Write the install date on the tank in marker. Once a tank passes about 10 years, plan the replacement rather than waiting for the failure — a planned swap costs the same as an emergency one minus the water damage.

Clean aerators before you accept a pressure diagnosis

Unscrew the aerator, rinse the screen, reinstall. If flow returns, you just avoided paying for a pressure investigation.