The maintenance checklist for your home's plumbing system needs to be adapted for seasonal changes. They affect the working order and longevity of the system. The most obvious impact has to do with the weather, and the most severe effects occur when the indoor and outdoor temperatures are very different (the season of spring and fall, for instance). The temperature affects the material of the pipe. When it heats and then cools, the pipe expands and then contracts. When this happens over and over, the pipe (or joint within it) can weaken, which can lead to leaks. And the jump in temperature from indoors to outdoors can be even tougher on those pipes. Insulating your pipes can help.
Quality also is paramount, not just for your plumbing but for everything else in your life. If your water isn't of high quality—appearing clear and tasting good—then everything you do with it is affected. Cooking, brewing coffee, or tending to plants—water is the base for so many activities that factor into our quality of life. It seems a bit strange and unfair that such an elemental substance should obtain its life-sustaining properties only if the conditions are right for it to do so.
That also brings us to the matter of construction. Even the best pipes don't last forever. They last longer, and work better, under certain conditions. You want a copper pipe, for instance, to be carrying potable water. But construction, too, is a factor in any vermin's pipe dream. At bottom, the aerator in your faucet might be the most effective (yet least glamorous) pipe protection scheme available, allowing you to use your plumbing in peace.
Inspections of the appliances connected to your plumbing system, including water heaters and washing machines, need be done at least once a year. These fixtures do not usually fall under the “plumbing” part of the home; however, they use the plumbing system to function. “Failing appliances and hidden leaks in and around them account for a large percentage of the water wasted each year—over 60 billion gallons in 2010 alone,” according to the Plumbing Manufacturers International website. The website also states that “more than 10 percent of American homes have water leaks that waste more than 90 gallons a day. For the average family of four, that’s about 12,000 gallons a year—enough to fill a swimming pool.” So here are a few simple things you can do to maintain the plumbing part of these appliances year-round.