Water is most definitely a necessity in every home, but where there is water coming into a home, there is also the potential risk for water damage. This is why making sure your plumbing and water using appliances are always well maintained. Keeping plumbing and water using appliances in good repair can help you to avoid any slowly developing or sudden water damage to your house. Many of the precautions can be done by the home owners themselves.



Making sure that all the plumbing in the home is working correctly might seem like a big chore, but actually it could take you just a couple of hours or less, once or twice a year to stay on top of any potential problem areas. A check list that you can design specifically for the water sources in your home is the ideal way to make the inspection go faster and ensure that you do not overlook anything.

You can make your list by starting on the outside or the inside if you prefer. When you make your outside check list, include any spigots that you connect hoses to. Include any outdoor water features you may have like a fish pond, swimming pool, fountains, spa, or hot tub. The crawl space underneath the home may be a place you can inspect yourself, but if you are not crazy about spooky low places, you might consider a plumber for this part of the task. Once you have covered every place on the outside of the home, make sure you have listed any repairs that are needed and get to them promptly. Just because they are outside the home does not mean they do not have the potential to cause damage.

When making your inside check list you will put down the most common places like the plumbing underneath the kitchen and bathroom sinks, toilets, showers, and bathtubs. Behind the walls where there is hidden plumbing needs to have an access panel of some kind to check these areas because if they leak, they can and probably will cause mold. The laundry room, basement, and any water using appliances like the dishwasher refrigerator, and also hot water heaters do not need to be forgotten.

Many times a lot of the plumbing is in the basement of a home and even occasionally there might be some in the attic. Never forget to inspect these places well too. Doing your own home plumbing inspections can end up saving you a lot of money and aggravation just because you spend a little time making inspections and staying caught up with small repairs instead of waiting until they turn into big ones.