Home plumbing maintenance checklist: what to do each season

Most expensive plumbing repairs start small: a drip under a sink, sediment in a water heater, a sump pump that nobody tested. A few minutes of attention each season catches these early.

Use this checklist as your starting point. Each item links to a detailed guide as it becomes available.

Every few months

• Look under sinks and around toilets, the water heater and the washing machine for drips or water stains.
• Run water in rarely used sinks and showers to keep drain traps full, which stops sewer odors.
• Listen for toilets that refill on their own; a running toilet wastes a lot of water.
• Check your water bill for jumps you cannot explain, a common sign of a hidden water leak.

Fall: before the first freeze

• Disconnect garden hoses and winterize outdoor faucets.
• Drain and shut down irrigation systems.
• Insulate pipes in garages, crawl spaces, attics and exterior walls. Our guide on how to prevent frozen pipes covers the details.
• Flush a tank water heater or descale a tankless unit before heavy winter use.
• If you have an outdoor tankless heater, confirm its freeze protection has power.
• Check the sump pump discharge line so it can carry water away in winter.

Winter

• Keep the heat on, even when you travel. The Red Cross recommends not setting the thermostat below 55°F when you are away.
• On the coldest nights, open cabinet doors on exterior walls and let a faucet served by exposed pipes drip.
• Know how to thaw frozen pipes safely, and where to shut off the water if one bursts.

Spring

• Test the sump pump by pouring a bucket of water into the pit before the rainy season.
• Turn outdoor water back on slowly and check each faucet and hose connection for leaks, since freeze damage often shows up now.
• Look at the water heater's temperature and pressure relief valve discharge pipe for drips.

Summer

• Check washing machine hoses for bulges or cracks, and replace rubber hoses with braided ones.
• Clear gutters and downspouts so rainwater flows away from the foundation.
• If you have a septic system, avoid parking or driving over the drain field.

Once a year

Every few years

• Check the anode rod in a tank water heater.
• Have a septic tank pumped, typically every three to five years for an average household.
• Consider a sewer camera inspection on an older home with large trees near the sewer line.

Know your shutoff valve

The single most useful thing any homeowner can learn is where the main water shutoff is and how to close it. In a burst pipe emergency, closing it in the first minute can save thousands of dollars in water damage.