Here are some of the plumbing checks which can be executed by every homeowner to avoid any worse problem with the plumbing system.

1. Every member of the household should be aware of the location of the main cut-off so that it can be easily cut when there are some evident plumbing problems in the house.

2. You should understand how the water meter works. Make sure that none among the dials of the meter are moving when there is no water running. There is a leak if the water meter is moving despite the mentioned conditions. Some of the most common items which should be checked for this are toilets and faucets.

3. Use drops of food color to check for leaks on the toilet. After 20 minutes, check again the toilet. If there is a color which you can see, there could be a possible seepage around the valve.

4. Twice a year, drain gallons of water from the tank of the water heater. This is to make sure that the valves are working properly and that if there is any build up of sediments around the tank, it will be immediately cleared to also maximize efficiency when heating. You can also consider purchasing a tank-less water heater which can surely lower your monthly bills on utility. This facility heats water when needed for use unlike the traditional tank heater.

5. If your toilet appears like it will suffer from over flowing, take off the lid of the tank and press down the flush to plug the hole located at the bottom of the tank. This is useful not only to determine the source of the clog but also to be able to free the toilet from overflowing.

6. Open and close all the water valves at least twice a year to keep them functional. The valves can freeze if this is not done.

7. Know the location of the stop valves for all the faucets. This will allow you to immediately turn off the water source when a problem occurs and prevent any further inconvenience.

8. Always have a plumber ready or any useful tools which can solve clogging.

9. Purchase various parts which will be useful for replacement such as a toilet kit and rubber gasket.

10. Avoid the use of any chemicals which can remove clogs. For example, garbage disposal repair problems usually are not fixed at all with chemicals. Buy something like the Badger 5 garbage disposal to begin with and you will have fewer problems to begin with. For other plumber issues, you can instead opt to use an auger, one which is called snake, which will also be useful for your plumbing problems.