The average household plumbing system represents an investment of about fifteen percent of the value
of the house. No part of the house is more important. Nothing in the house is used more often. A smoothly functioning plumbing system is essential to a healthy and more convenient home.

 

These tips and hints were written with the objective of helping home owners as well as renters keep
their plumbing systems in good operating condition. This list is a set of general guidelines and should not be relied upon as the sole source of your maintenance efforts. An annual checkup of your system is recommended and your plumbing contractor can advise you on any special circumstances that may need
particular attention. The sale value of a house with sound plumbing is far greater than that of a house where plumbing is in poor repair.

 

There are many things that an owner or renter can do; there are many things that should be left to an
expert - the plumbing contractor and his staff of plumbers. Minor repairs should be made promptly. Annoyances such as a blocked drain, dripping faucet or a leaking flush valve in the toilet, are more than a mere bother - they usually waste money.

 

Major repairs,
replacements, and new plumbing installations should be left to a licensed and competent plumbing contractor. Improper installation of plumbing components can lead to health problems for those living in the home and can lead to even larger expenditures later on to correct problems.

 

 

There can be nothing more distressing than a leaking hot water unit, particularly if the unit is
located inside the home. There are only a limited number of places that a hot water unit can leak from. The pressure and temperature relief valve is located near the top and to one side of your hot water unit and will have a small lever on it. This lever should be gently lifted every six months or so to flush the
valve free of accumulated debris. Be careful when you do this as hot water will come out of the relief line under pressure - keep your valuable body parts out of the way!

 

After 10 seconds or so, gently let the lever back down and the flow should stop. The relief valve
is designed to leak small amounts of water particularly on the heating cycle (after someone has had a shower for example) to stop the excessive build up of pressure inside the hot water unit itself. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that these valves do eventually wear out and need to be replaced. If you notice water running from the relief line on a continual basis the valve needs to be replaced. The longer you let it run the higher your electricity or gas bill is going to be as the unit is constantly heating water even though you are not using it.

 

The second place a hot water unit can leak from is the element gasket. The element will be near the
bottom and near the top of the hot water unit where the electrical wires enter and are covered by a box or plate. The element has a rubber gasket around it where it penetrates the tank itself and these do deteriorate over time causing leakage. Obviously, leaks from this area should be treated as a matter of some
urgency due to the close proximity of the leak to the electrical supply. The unit usually needs to be drained and the element removed to allow replacement of the gasket. Always use a licensed and competent plumber when dealing with any aspect of your electricity system and supply - it simply isn't worth risking your life for the sake of a few dollars.

 

The third place the unit can leak is from the cylinder itself. In the great majority of cases a
leaking hot water cylinder means the unit is beyond repair and will require replacement.

 

 

There should be a valve located on the cold water supply line. Carefully touch the lines to determine which is the cold line. The hot water line from the unit usually will not have a valve. This valve will
normally have a red, black, or yellow handle or may have a circular knob of one of these colors. Slowly rotate the handle clockwise until the handle stops. The water may continue to leak for several minutes until the pressure is reduced but should slow and eventually stop. If there is no valve at or near the water
heater you may need to turn off the main supply to stop the water flow at the unit.

 

Next, go to your electrical panel and locate the hot water circuit breaker. The great majority of homes have a separate circuit for the hot water unit and this circuit should be marked as such. Flick the switch marked hot water to the 'off' position. Once you have done this you have now isolated both the water and power supply to the unit. If you don't isolate the power supply and the unit does drain dry the
element will remain active and will overheat due to the lack of water. If the water heater is a gas fired unit you will also need to turn off the gas supply or the gas valve at the bottom of the unit.

 

 

Another annoying thing about hot water units is that every now and again they stop producing hot
water. If there is no apparent leak from the unit then there are a number of possible causes. The element or thermostat may have failed. The plumber can undertake checks to test whether or not power is getting to both the element and thermostat - never try to do this yourself. If the everything checks out ok
it may mean a problem with the electrical supply from the switchboard itself. If this is the case, a licensed electrician will be required to locate and rectify the problem. With gas fired units the cause could be a faulty gas valve, thermostat, or even a bad pilot light component. If the pilot light will not remain on or if the unit has an electronic ignition system the unit will require repair.

 

 

In order to prevent water hammering always turn faucets on and off softly. Curing water hammer can
be a process of elimination and, in certain cases, may require the fitting of water hammer arrestors.

 

Don't over tighten faucets or valves when turning them off. Turning off a faucet too hard can split the
washer and a drip will turn into a flow. If the faucet or valve is continually dripping have it serviced before it wears the seat and the cost to repair becomes greater.

 

Familiarize yourself with the location of your water meter (normally located near the street or
alley in a concrete, steel, or plastic meter vault) and its operation so that you know how to isolate your water should a problem arise.

 

 

Have your gutters and downspouts cleaned out twice a year. Debris sitting in gutters and downspouts is
a major cause of corrosion. Corroded gutters are expensive to repair or replace. Having leaf guards fitted to the gutters to stop debris from settling may help to eliminate some of the cleaning.

 

During a heavy
downpour, a blocked downspout can cause a backup of water in the gutters which can overflow into the eaves and into your ceiling space. If you find this is happening you can alleviate the problem immediately by making a reasonable size hole in the base of the offending downspout. This will allow the water to
escape in to your yard rather than into your ceiling - it will be cheaper to replace or repair a downspout than your plaster or sheetrock ceiling!

 

 

It pays to have your sewer and storm drains checked on an annual basis.  Some plumbers offer a service to run a video camera through the lines to visually pinpoint problem areas and causes of blockage. This inspection can locate the exact area that is blocked and the repairs are normally faster and less expensive since the cause & exact location are known. Root growth and blockages can cause extensive damage that
may mean drain excavation and replacement if left unfixed. Maintenance is much cheaper than replacement.

 

If your sink drains are chronically slow and you live in an older house, the problem may be an
accumulation of grease and sludge in the lines. No amount of plunging and chemicals is going to fix this. Rectification of the problem can require use of some type of pipe cleaning or high pressure water jet to clear the affected line.

 

Many people attempt to clear their blocked drains by poking their household hose down the sewer or storm water line to try and flush out whatever is causing the blockage. This approach is rarely successful but if you do decide to try this make sure you remove the nozzle and fittings from the hose first. The nozzle can (and will) get snagged down the drain pipe and attempts to retrieve the hose by force can result in the nozzle detaching itself. Now you not only have the original blockage but the wayward nozzle is now compounding the problem.

 

Be careful of what you flush down toilet drains. Sewer systems are designed for biodegradable toilet
tissue only. Don't flush grease down the sink - it may look like it is gone but it will build up in your drains and block eventually.

 

Water conservation facts and tips·       
The average American home uses nearly 100,000 gallons of water per year.

   
A dripping faucet can waste more than 500 gallons of water a month!

      
A leaking toilet can waste more than 4,000 gallons of water per year.

       
That single dripping faucet and leaking toilet costs you a considerable amount of money over the course of a year.

      
An eight minute shower with a normal shower head uses around 30 gallons of water. A water efficient showerhead will use less than 18 gallons for the same period.

      
A tap left running can waste up to 4 gallons of water a minute - almost 1.5 quarts every 5 seconds.
Don't leave taps running when you brush your teeth or shave. Put the plug in before commencing to fill the sink - don't wait for the water to get hot first.

 

 

Wait until everyone is finished using the water for the evening (showers, toilets, dishwashers, etc).
Locate your water meter which is normally just outside the front boundary of your property and most are covered by a lid that will be flush with the ground. Open the lid (you may need a small screwdriver to pry the lid open) and you will see a small lever handle at one end and a water meter in the middle.
Write down the meter reading on a piece of paper. Ensure nobody uses the water till morning when you check the meter again and write down number again. If the morning figure is higher then it is quite probable that you have a water leak that needs to be located and repaired as soon as possible.

 

By the way, that small lever next to your meter can be used to isolate the water supply to your home.
Gently turn the lever to turn the water off. Be careful when you turn if back on - turn it on slowly to allow the house system to repressurise gently.

 

 

If the water leak is on your side of the main water meter to your property it is your responsibility. If the leak is on the street side of the water meter the leak is water supplier’s responsibility.

 

 

Dirty or discolored water could be caused by a number if things. If the cold water supply is dirty
it may simply mean that water supplier has been undertaking water main work in your area and sediments in the water mains have been disturbed. Always check with water supplier first to see if this is the case before calling a plumber. If water supplier have been undertaking works on the water mains the problem
will normally settle in a short period of time and your water will return to normal.

 

Reddish or rust colored water from your hot water supply can mean that the internal cylinder of your
hot water service is badly corroded and will require replacement in the very near future. Flushing and refilling of the unit is a stop gap solution and will not solve the problem. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix for his situation.