The Ultimate Plumbing Maintenance Checklist for Denver & Littleton Homeowners

Through a plumbing maintenance checklist, Denver and Littleton residents can ensure long-lasting, well-maintained plumbing systems. Seasonal plumbing maintenance helps to detect repair issues and prevent future problems.

Besides performing specific tasks each season, there are also annual plumbing maintenance activities to consider. By ensuring consistent maintenance throughout the year, you can ensure your loved ones have clean water for all of their drinking, cooking, and cleaning needs.

Spring Plumbing Checklist for Denver and Littleton Homeowners

Before the weather heats up all the way, Denver and Littleton residents should spend some time cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining their plumbing systems. From cleaning out your gutters to testing your sump pump, there are a few simple tasks you can do to make sure your plumbing equipment is in good condition. If you struggle to remember every task on your plumbing inspection checklist, you can always add reminders to your calendar.

• Inspect for Leaks: One of the most important things you can do to protect your plumbing system is to find and repair plumbing leaks. Many of your home’s pipes are behind walls and floors, so you need to pay attention to unexplained moisture. The sound of running water when no one is using any water is another common indicator of a leak.
• Check Your Water Pressure: If the water pressure in your shower or sink drops suddenly, it means that there is an underlying issue. There may be a leak or a similar issue that is reducing the pressure.
• Clean Gutters and Downspouts: Gutters and downspouts are designed to direct water away from your home’s foundation and walls. If they are clogged by leaves and twigs, this can lead to water damage.
• Drain and Flush Your Water Heater: Each year, you should drain and flush your water heater twice so that sediment can’t build up in the tank.
• Test the Sump Pump: If heavy rains occur, your sump pump can prevent flooding in your basement or crawl space. To make sure your home is prepared, you should test your sump pump in the springtime. You may also want to think about installing a battery backup so that your pump can work during power blackouts as well.
• Check Your Outdoor Faucets: Freezing wintertime temperatures can harm your hoses and outdoor faucets. As springtime rolls around, take a moment to check your outdoor water fixtures to see if they show any signs of damage.
• Inspect for Signs of Corrosion: Because metal pipes and fixtures can corrode in the presence of water, you should periodically check for signs of damage.

Summer Plumbing Checklist for Colorado Homeowners

With the arrival of summer, it’s important to carry out important residential and commercial plumbing maintenance tasks. You can make this process easier by using our Whole Home Comfort Plan, which includes an annual maintenance inspection and priority service.

By being proactive about your maintenance, you can ensure your plumbing system is functioning at its best. With the following plumbing preventive maintenance, you can avoid unexpected breakdowns and expensive repairs.

• Adjust Your Water Heater Temperature: As summertime heats up, you can save money on your power bill by turning your water heat thermostat down.
• Pay Attention to Water Consumption: Many homeowners use a bit more water in the summer because they need to fill their pools or water plants. However, any unexpected jump in water consumption may indicate a leak, so it’s important to pay attention to what your water bills look like each month.
• Inspect Your Washing Machine Hose: Once summer rolls around, you should inspect your washing machine hose for holes and damage. If there is an issue with the hose, it needs to be replaced right away.
• Get Ready for Vacation: If you plan on going somewhere on vacation, make sure your plumbing system is prepared first. Turn off your water at the main line so you don’t have to worry about any leaks when you’re gone.
• Clean Sprinkler Systems: During your summertime plumbing maintenance in Denver, check out your sprinklers to make sure they’re working correctly. Cleaning out clogs and repairing leaks will improve their efficacy.
• Fix Clogged Drains: As a part of your plumbing maintenance services, you should pay attention to how your drains are performing. If water is draining slowly, you may need to call one of our licensed plumbers to remove the clog.
• Look for Foundation Leaks: Damp spots on or near your foundation are an indication that you may have a cracked foundation or poor drainage. To avoid additional water damage, this problem needs to be repaired promptly.
• Test Your Toilet for Leaks: To see if your toilet tank is leaking, add five drops of food dye and wait 15 minutes to see if it shows up in your toilet bowl. If you see dye in the toilet bowl, you probably need to replace the flapper.

Fall Plumbing Checklist for Plumbing Maintenance

Before autumn leaves start to fall, it’s important to perform seasonal plumbing maintenance tasks in your home. By flushing your water heater tank, cleaning your gutters, and caring for your sump pump, you can ensure your plumbing system is in optimal condition.

• Inspect Your Furnace: If your furnace stops working, it could cause your pipes to freeze. Because of this, it’s a good idea to inspect and maintain your furnace in the fall before you need to start using it all the time.
• Get Your Pipes Ready: Before colder weather shows up, you should inspect and insulate your pipes against the cold. 
• Look at Your Water Heater: Ideally, you should be flushing your water heater twice each year. If you notice any problems with the anode, make sure to schedule a professional maintenance appointment.
• Inspect Sewer Lines: Unfortunately, tree roots like to grow toward water sources, which is why root intrusion can happen in your sewer lines. With a video inspection, you can see if this is an issue and where repairs will be needed.
• Look at Your Sump Pump: To prevent flooding during the wintertime, test your sump pump to make sure it’s working properly.
• Prepare Outdoor Faucets: Freezing temperatures can damage your faucets and fixtures. Disconnect any hoses and drain your outdoor faucets so that they don’t freeze in the cold weather.
• Clean Your Gutters: To keep water from backing up in your gutters, remove any leaves and debris.
• Inspect and Clean the Chimney: For a safe and comfortable winter, get your chimney inspected and cleaned before you need to start using it each day.

Winter Plumbing Checklist: Prepare Your Home for Colder Weather

With the arrival of colder temperatures, it’s essential to make sure your plumbing systems are prepared. To ensure your plumbing system is ready, take advantage of the following plumbing maintenance checklist for Littleton and Denver.

• Store Your Hoses: Hoses can freeze if they have any remaining water inside them, so make sure to disconnect and drain all of your hoses before winter arrives. Then, store the hose in a safe, protected spot indoors.
• Avoid Damage from Ice Dams: If ice dams form on your roof, they can cause shingle damage and peeling paint. To prevent these issues, remove ice and snow before they build up too much.
• Turn Your Faucets On: By leaving your faucets dripping, you can keep water moving through your pipes and prevent them from freezing.
• Protect Spigots: To keep your spigots from freezing, disconnect the hoses and drain the water. Then, wrap them in insulation.
• Insulate Exposed Pipes: Sometimes, there are exposed pipes outside of your home that can freeze. Before the weather becomes colder, make sure to insulate these pipes against frigid weather.
• Check the Water Main Shutoff Valve: If there is a leak in your home, you’ll need the shutoff valve to switch off your water completely. Before the weather gets too cold, make sure the valve is in working order so that you’ll be able to use it if you need to.
• Open Up the Cabinet Doors: The space inside your cabinets can be cold, leading to frozen pipes. By opening up your cabinets in cold weather, you can reduce the likelihood of your pipes freezing.
• Adjust the Temperature on Your Water Heater: As the temperatures start to become colder, you can adjust your water heater setting so that it is a little warmer. You can also use a thermometer to verify the temperature of the water coming out of your faucets. In general, 120°F is a good temperature to avoid scalding while still having a hot shower. 

Year-Round Checklist Tips for Your Colorado Water Heater

By staying on top of your annual plumbing maintenance, you can ensure your plumbing system lasts as long as possible. While some tasks need to be carried out seasonally, others only need to be performed once a year. Many of the following tips should be done on an ongoing basis, such as regularly checking for leaks and paying attention to your plumbing system’s water pressure. 

• Get Annual Inspections for Your Water Heater: As a part of your maintenance plan, you can get an annual inspection of your water heater and any repair issues diagnosed.
• Monitor Your Water Pressure: If you notice low water pressure throughout the year, there is likely a problem with your plumbing system. You can reach out to one of our professional plumbers to get help diagnosing and fixing the issue. 
• Learn About Your Plumbing System: If you experience an issue with your plumbing system, it helps to know where important features are. For instance, you should figure out the location of the main shutoff valve before a major problem occurs.
• Notice Leaks: If you notice signs of moisture, you may have a leak. To avoid additional problems, get leaks repaired right away.
• Protect Your Drains: To avoid clogs in your drains, don’t pour oil, fats, or grease down them. You should also never let children flush anything down the toilet. 

Emergency Plumbing Tips: Prevent Major Damage

Through routine plumbing maintenance services in Littleton and Denver, you can prevent major damage from harming your plumbing systems. If unexpected breakdowns do occur, there are a few tips you can use to minimize the damage and inconvenience.

Find the Location of Your Main Shutoff Valve

When a plumbing emergency strikes, you need to know how to turn off your water supply. To do so, you must locate your main shutoff valve and know how to switch it off. Because a different family member could be at home when the leak happens, it’s a good idea to teach more than one person how to turn off the main shutoff valve.

Figure Out How To Handle Sewer Problems

If you smell sewage, you need to act quickly to avoid a major disaster. First, call one of our plumbers right away to diagnose and repair plumbing issues. While you wait for professional help to arrive, don’t flush the toilet or pour any water down the drain because this could cause your sewer to back up again.

Learn the Best Way To Deal With Burst Pipes

Water-related damage from burst pipes can quickly get expensive. To avoid costly repair bills, learn how to mitigate the harm of burst pipes. As soon as you think a pipe has burst, you must switch off your water lines using the main shutoff valve. Then, you’ll need to have the faulty pipe professionally repaired before you can switch the water on again.

Keep Contact Information Ready

You never know when a pipe will burst or spring a leak. To make sure you are ready for anything, write down our contact information or save it on your phone. We provide 24/7 emergency services so you can get help with any plumbing problems as soon as they occur.

Take Care of Your Plumbing System Throughout the Year

By using a plumbing inspection checklist, Denver and Littleton residents can protect their plumbing systems and avoid unexpected breakdowns. Proper maintenance can also reduce the likelihood of repairs. Whether you need help with your plumbing maintenance checklist or need emergency repairs, our team of certified plumbers can help. 
Discover more information about our plumbing services by filling out our online form today.