Residential Plumbing Maintenance: A Homeowner's Annual Checklist

Monthly: Five Minutes That Matter

The monthly routine is short and catches problems while they are still inexpensive.

• •Read the water meter with every fixture off and confirm it is not moving
• •Run water briefly in unused bathrooms to keep traps sealed
• •Look under every sink for moisture, staining or corrosion
• •Check the water heater pan and surrounding floor for dampness
• •Test that garbage disposal and dishwasher drain freely

Quarterly: Fixtures And Flow

Every three months, spend twenty minutes on the details that quietly degrade.

• •Clean faucet aerators and showerheads of mineral scale
• •Clear hair and debris from pop-up drain assemblies
• •Inspect toilet tanks for running water and worn flappers
• •Check exposed piping in the garage and attic for corrosion
• •Verify washing machine hoses show no bulging or rust at the fittings

Annually: The Important Work

These are the items with the largest impact on equipment life, and several are worth having a professional perform.

• •Flush the water heater completely to remove sediment
• •Test the temperature and pressure relief valve
• •Measure static water pressure and verify the regulator holds 55–70 PSI
• •Exercise the main shut-off valve and every angle stop in the house
• •Descale tankless water heaters through the isolation valves
• •Inspect and service water softener and filtration systems

Every Three Years: The Deeper Checks

Some components need attention on a longer cycle but matter enormously when neglected.

• •Inspect and replace the water heater anode rod as needed
• •Camera the sewer lateral on homes over twenty-five years old
• •Replace braided supply connectors throughout the house
• •Have a professional whole-home plumbing inspection performed

The Arizona Adjustments

National maintenance advice underestimates what hard water and desert heat do to a plumbing system. In the Valley, double the frequency of water heater flushing if you have no softener, inspect exterior hose bibbs before summer, and treat any unexplained bill increase as a leak until proven otherwise.

Homes with under-slab copper built between 1985 and 2005 deserve particular attention — that population is squarely in the slab leak window, and early detection is dramatically cheaper than emergency response.