Maintaining your plumbing system is tricky, difficult, and anything else but easy. Looking for an issue is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But there is a way for you to make this process easier and manageable with the help of this simple checklist.
This checklist will cover the different kinds of plumbing problems and where they are usually located.
Your plumbing maintenance checklist
- Water leaks occur in exposed pipes, including those pipes connected to your sinks, water heaters, central A/C unit, and even behind the walls of your home. Leaks often occur when the pipe’s integrity is affected. This also happens when minerals from the water that travels inside the pipes react with the steel lining of the pipes.
- Water stains are the result of water leaks that are often unchecked. These are discolourations founds in walls or floors that indicate leaks behind it. Tiles and tubs may also show signs of water stains and may lead you to a potential leak.
- Water quality can be affected when there’s an issue with the integrity of your pipes. A rusty or corroded pipe delivers tainted water to different parts of your home and is an indicator that they need to be replaced.
- Corrosion, as mentioned above, happens when minerals from water interact with the metal lining of the pipes. Corrosion presents as discolouration, usually a green, or yellow and orange shade around the pipe fittings, valves, and joints.
- Water pressure can often decrease when there’s something blocking the water from passing through. One simple way to check if your water pressure is okay is to place a 1L jug in your kitchen sink and use your cold water kitchen tap to fill the jug with water. It should take around 7 seconds to fill the entire thing. If it’s slower than 7 seconds, your water pressure is okay. Just make sure every other plumbing fixture in the house is turned off before doing this.
- Cracks are signs of wear and tear that occur in almost all plumbing fixtures, from toilets to taps, due to excessive use combined with old age. When water leaks out from these fixtures, chances are you’re dealing with either leaks caused by rust or leaks caused by cracks.
This checklist can help you maintain your plumbing fixtures without any difficulty. Still, it’s important to get in touch with an expert plumber to inspect your home’s pipes every now and then.
