This Fall Plumbing Maintenance Checklist

One home can waste up to 20,000 gallons of water if they have some undetected leaks. Imagine how that translates to your water bill! Check out our Fall Plumbing Maintenance Checklist for tips.

You should have a regular maintenance schedule for your entire home, but your plumbing should go at the top of the list. After all, plumbing problems are often the most expensive.

Fall is crucial for winter preparation. In order to be proactive in preventing expensive repairs that turn into plumbing emergencies, it’s important to schedule an afternoon where you can run through your maintenance checklist.

Read on for our top tips on what to look out for in key plumbing maintenance areas of your home.

This Fall Plumbing Maintenance Checklist

It snuck up on us again. Fall is here, and before you know it, we’ll be shovelling the driveway and breaking out the mittens. Leaving your home maintenance to the last minute can put you behind schedule as life continues to get busier around the upcoming holiday season. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and then Christmas flies by in a blink.

Instead of putting it off, schedule an afternoon to start checking things off your plumbing maintenance list. You can even break it down to each area of your house to make it more manageable. Making this a priority now will save you time, headaches, and the expensive cost of a plumbing emergency that could’ve been prevented. Here’s what you should check to protect your home from a plumbing problem this year.

Winterproof your exterior.

During the fall season, we get to watch the leaves transform into a beautiful collage of colour. Then they fall into our gutters, clogging them, and make their way onto our lawn. This isn’t the only thing you have to look out for. To winterproof your home this fall, you’ll want to do some exterior maintenance that includes:

• Cleaning out your gutters, drains, and downspouts to prevent blockages that lead to a burst pipe.
• Raking away leaves and debris.
• Turning off the water supply line to your outside hoses and faucets. You’ll also need to drain them to ensure they don’t burst from water freezing inside.
• Putting away your sprinklers.
• Trimming dead branches and shrubs that are hanging over your roof, taunting potential damage in a storm.

Inspect your bathroom and kitchen.

Your bathroom and kitchen experience a lot of plumbing activity between the shower, sinks, toilet, and dishwasher. The fall is an excellent time to inspect for any leaks or damage that may lead to a bigger problem. Below are some things you’ll want to keep an eye out for.

• You should check your toilet for leaks. Does it sound like it’s running, even when no one has used it? Do you notice any pooling water? These are some signs of a leak that should be dealt with right away.
• Do you see any damp spots on the ceilings, floors, or walls? This could be a sign of leaks happening behind the scenes from dripping pipes.
• Examine the caulking around your kitchen sink, tubs, toilet, doors, and windows to prevent water from seeping into the walls and floor, as well as prevent heat loss this winter.
• Inspect your sinks, garbage disposal, and dishwasher to ensure there aren’t any clogs from food or hair (possibly even a toy).

Check out the laundry room.

The summer and fall seasons bring in a lot of extra dirt and debris from being outside. You’ll see more mud and sand than usual, which can clog the drainage system in your laundry machines. If you have any exposed plumbing lines in your laundry room, it’s worthwhile to insulate them to protect them from freezing temperatures that can cause them to burst.

Give your basement special attention.

If you have a basement, this is the space you’ll want to pay extra attention to when doing your fall plumbing maintenance check. Your water heater is what allows you to take those steamy showers on a chilly fall morning. It’s essential that you flush it out to remove the residue in order to prolong its life so that it’s working when you need it.

You’ll also want to inspect your walls, fixtures, and floors for any leaks or cracks that should be dealt with. If you happen to be escaping somewhere warm for more than a week this fall, it’s worth turning off your water and draining the pipes to prevent anything from happening, like a burst pipe or flood, while you’re away.

Fall is the best time to address any plumbing maintenance issues head-on before the cold weather sets in. By making it a priority to do a thorough inspection now, you’ll save time and money if something preventable goes wrong this winter. You can extend the lifespan of your appliances, plumbing system, and keep your water bills consistent by being proactive this season. Our experts at Plumbing & Heating Paramedics can give your home a top-to-bottom inspection that gives you peace of mind for all your plumbing needs. Contact us to book at your convenience.

What would you add to our fall plumbing maintenance checklist? When do you begin to check off the boxes? Share your tips with our readers starting their home’s transition to the next season.