According to Travelers Insurance, from 2009 to 2015, the second leading cause of homeowner’s claims was water damage. The Independent Insurance Agents’ Association recommends these tips to keep your plumbing in shape to help prevent water damage:
- Inspect your entire plumbing system for leaks. A good place to start is at the city water meter. Here you will find a small red triangle or a 5-pointed indicator on the face of the meter itself. If this indicator is moving, water is being used someplace. Visually check all your plumbing fixtures to see if any are leaking. Some small leaks are hard to find. Another check is to install a water pressure gauge on your main water line. Now shut off the water feed. If the needle indicator on the gauge drops, there is a leak somewhere.
- Install a pressure-reducing valve if your home or business water pressure exceeds acceptable standards. Ideal water pressure is 60 pounds. Above this is considered high pressure and over 85 pounds, plumbing code mandates that you have a pressure-reducing valve. Water pressures typically rises in the evening hours when less water is being used. It may rise over 20 pounds at night, so the 70 pounds you had this afternoon is now over 90 pounds. It is even greater on water heaters due to the expansion effect of heating water. Excessive pressure is the mortal enemy of a water heater.
- Locate and ensure your primary water shut-off works. The time to locate your main water shut
off is not when you need it. In a flood situation, every second counts. Often we see shut off valves located behind shrubbery that the homeowner must remove so we can access the shut off valve. Often this valve hasn’t been turned on or off in a decade or more. Likely, this valve is frozen in the “on” position and will not shut off under any circumstances. When a broken pipe in the wall is spewing water is not when you want to make this discovery. - Inspect the water heater, pan, piping, and vent for cracks or leakage. Know how to operate your gas shutoff valve. Test the water shutoff valve for the water heater, as well. If you have a hot water leak and must shut off the water, it’s nice to just shut the water heater off and still be able to use the rest rooms, wash your hands, and do a load of laundry with cold water. In the event that you have to shut off the water supply to the water heater you will want to shut off the gas supply as well (if you have a gas water heater). If you have an electric water heater, turn off the breaker instead. Since water heater failure is a major source of home plumbing floods, a regular inspection of the water heater and its attachments is a good preventative measure.
At Sav-On Plumbing these measures are part of our home inspection process, included with any service we perform. If preventing a flood in your home sounds like a good idea give us a call 602-488-4647. We will be happy to evaluate your plumbing.