Plumbing Maintenance Checklist

Walk supply and drain lines visible under sinks, behind the water heater, and at the main entry. Look for green oxidation on copper joints, rust streaks on galvanized, white mineral deposits at compression fittings, and any active drips. Pre-1986 buildings: confirm no remaining lead service lines per EPA's Lead and Copper Rule.

Cycle the main shutoff a quarter turn and back; gate valves seize over time and a stuck main is a habitability issue when a burst occurs at 2am. If it won't budge, log it as a repair — do not force it. Confirm the tenant knows the valve location before leaving.

Photograph any active leak, corrosion, or stuck valve. Time-stamped photos are the audit trail when an owner asks why a repair was ordered or when a habitability claim surfaces months later.

Run hot and cold separately at each fixture; check for pressure drop, mixing issues at single-handle valves, and drips after shutoff. A drip past the seat usually means a cartridge or washer replacement, which is a tech-level fix; pressure issues on the hot side often trace back to the water heater.

Check for rocking at the base (failed wax ring — a slow ceiling leak waiting to happen on a second-floor unit), a running fill valve (water-bill driver), and condensation on the tank in summer. Add a few drops of food coloring to the tank to flush out silent flapper leaks.

Inspect caulking at tub and shower surrounds, the wall behind the toilet, and the ceiling below upstairs bathrooms. Soft drywall, dark grout, or musty odor escalates immediately — mold remediation under most state warranty-of-habitability statutes is a 24-72 hour response window.

Run both handles, check the sprayer, and feel under the sink at the supply stops and the P-trap for moisture. Braided stainless supply lines older than 8-10 years are due for replacement — burst supply lines are the most common claim driver in resident-caused water losses.

Run cold water, drop in a few ice cubes, and listen for grinding metal or a humming-but-not-spinning motor (jammed — use the bottom hex key to free). Check the splash guard and the discharge tube to the trap. Disposal life is 8-12 years; budget replacements proactively rather than emergency.

Confirm the high loop or air gap is intact (most state plumbing codes require one to prevent backflow into the dishwasher). Inspect the drain hose connection at the disposal or tailpiece and the supply valve under the sink.

120°F is the OSHA / consumer-safety standard — hot enough to suppress Legionella, cool enough to avoid scalding (140°F can scald in 5 seconds). Adjust if the dial drifted. Senior or family-with-young-children households default to 120°F unless the tenant requests otherwise in writing.

Lift the temperature and pressure relief lever briefly; water should discharge to the drain pan and stop cleanly when released. A T&P that won't reseat or won't open is replaced immediately — a failed T&P on a heater that overheats is the rocket-through-the-roof failure mode.

Annual flush extends tank life and recovers efficiency lost to sediment buildup at the bottom. Hard-water markets (most of TX, AZ, FL, southern CA) need this every 6 months. If the drain valve clogs or you see rust-colored water, log a recommendation to replace the heater — heaters past 10-12 years are on borrowed time.

Confirm hose bibs don't drip when off, the vacuum breaker is intact, and the interior shutoff is accessible. In freeze-prone markets, verify the bib is a frost-free model or scheduled for winterization — a burst hose bib in January is one of the most common cold-snap claims.

Walk the perimeter; grade should slope away from the building for the first 10 feet. Pooling near the foundation drives basement intrusion and crawlspace mold — both are warranty-of-habitability issues and capex headaches if ignored.

Clogged gutters dump water at the foundation and cause the same intrusion problems as bad grading. Confirm downspouts extend at least 4-6 feet from the building. Schedule twice yearly minimum — late spring and late fall after leaf drop.

Pour a bucket of water into the basin until the float lifts and the pump kicks on. Confirm the pump cycles off cleanly and the discharge line is clear of ice or debris. A failed sump that's discovered during a storm is a six-figure basement loss.

Below-grade bathrooms and laundry on ejector pumps clog from flushable wipes and laundry lint. Lift the lid (gloves and a mask — sewage gas), check the float and the inlet, and confirm the check valve isn't stuck open.

Power outages and storms arrive together — a sump on AC only is the sump that fails when you need it most. Test the battery under load by unplugging the primary; the backup should pick up the next cycle. Replace batteries every 3-5 years per manufacturer spec.

Open a work order in AppFolio / Buildium / Yardi referencing the captured photos and findings. Confirm the vendor's COI is current and names the property as additional insured before scheduling — a lapsed COI on a vendor causing a flood leaves the manager personally exposed.

Sump failures get same-week response in storm-prone seasons. Replacement units (½ HP for most residential, 1 HP for finished basements with ejector duty) are stocked at the supply house — don't wait on a special order while the basin sits idle.

Attach the inspection photos, water heater readings, and any work-order numbers opened. Owners want to see preventive work documented — it justifies the management fee and surfaces capex items (water heater age, hose bib replacements) before they become emergency calls.