When should you have your plumbing checked?

Most plumbing lives behind walls, under floors and underground, so small problems can grow for a long time before anyone notices. A periodic check by a licensed plumber is how you catch them while they’re still small.

How often

There’s no national rule, but many plumbers suggest a general checkup every year or two. Older homes, homes with a history of leaks or clogs, and homes with very hard water benefit from more frequent checks.

Times a plumbing check makes the most sense

• Before buying a home. A general home inspection looks at plumbing, but a plumber can go further, including a camera inspection of the sewer line.
• Before a kitchen or bathroom remodel, while walls and floors are open.
• When a home is more than a few decades old, or has older pipe materials such as galvanized steel or polybutylene, which a plumber can identify.
• After a slab leak, flood or other water damage.
• When your water heater reaches the second half of its expected life.

Signs to call sooner

• A water bill that jumps without a change in how you use water.
• Low water pressure throughout the house.
• Several drains that are slow at once, or gurgling sounds from drains and toilets.
• Water stains, soft spots or warm spots on floors or walls.
• Discolored water, or a sewer smell inside or outside the home.
• The sound of running water when nothing is on.

What a plumbing checkup usually covers

• Visible supply and drain lines, shutoff valves and connections for leaks or corrosion.
• Water pressure, and the pressure-reducing valve if your home has one.
• Water heater condition, venting and safety valve.
• Toilets, faucets and fixtures for leaks and wear.
• Drain flow throughout the house, and a camera inspection of the main sewer line if needed.
• Hose bibs, irrigation connections and the main water shutoff.

Know where your main shutoff is

Every adult in the home should know where the main water shutoff valve is and how to close it. Locating the main shutoff is part of a standard home inspection, and insurer Travelers recommends every homeowner learn where theirs is and how it works. If a pipe bursts, shutting off the water quickly is the biggest thing you can do to limit damage.