Annual Plumbing Maintenance: What to Inspect, Clean, and Flush Every Year

Most people only think about their plumbing when something’s already gone wrong. A cold shower on a Tuesday morning. Water pooling near the hot water unit. A drain that gurgles when the washing machine empties. By the time you notice any of that, the problem has usually been building for months.

The good news is that plumbing doesn’t need constant attention. It needs a handful of checks done properly, once a year, at the same time every year so you don’t forget. Here’s what actually matters, in the order I’d tackle it if it were my own house.

Start with the hot water system

This is the appliance people ignore the longest, mostly because it’s tucked away in a garage or side yard and just quietly does its job for years. But storage hot water systems have a few components that genuinely need yearly attention, not because a plumber wants your business, but because ignoring them shortens the life of the unit and, in rare cases, creates a real safety issue.

Test the temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valve. This is the valve that stops your tank from over-pressurising as the water heats up. Lift the lever slightly, you should hear or see water discharge, then watch that it closes properly and stops dripping. If nothing happens, or it keeps weeping afterward, that valve needs replacing. It’s a two-minute job and it’s the single most important safety check on this whole list.

Check the tempering or mixing valve if you have one. In South Australia, tempering valves that blend hot water down to a safe delivery temperature are required to be tested every 12 months under state plumbing regulations, as outlined by the Office of the Technical Regulator. It’s not just a nice-to-have. A valve that’s stuck or worn can let water through hotter than it should, which is a scalding risk, particularly for kids and older residents.

Flush the tank. Sediment settles at the bottom of storage tanks over time, especially in areas with harder water. Left alone, it insulates the heating element or burner from the water, makes the system work harder, and eventually causes premature failure. A yearly flush clears it out. Turn off the power or gas, connect a hose to the drain valve, run it until the water comes out clear.

If any of that sounds like more than you want to handle yourself, or if your system is older and you’re not sure what state the anode rod or valves are in, it’s worth getting someone to look at the whole unit properly rather than guessing. According to Hot Water Systems Adelaide, most premature tank failures they see come down to exactly this, a TPR valve or anode that was never checked, not a fault with the unit itself. A yearly look from someone who does this daily will tell you fairly quickly whether your system just needs a service or is heading toward replacement.

Work through the drains

Slow drains rarely happen overnight. They build up gradually, hair and soap scum in the bathroom, grease and food particles in the kitchen, until one day the water’s barely moving. An annual check stops that build-up from turning into a full blockage.

• Run hot water through kitchen and bathroom drains and watch how quickly it clears
• Pull the plug out of the shower or bath drain and check for hair and buildup around it
• Listen for gurgling when other fixtures are used, that’s often a sign of a partial blockage further down the line
• Check outdoor drains and gully traps for debris, especially after a windy autumn when leaves pile up

If a drain is draining slowly despite looking clear on the surface, don’t reach for a chemical cleaner as your first move. Repeated use of caustic drain cleaners can actually damage older pipework, particularly in homes with clay or older PVC drainage. What you actually need at that point is proper drain cleaning with a camera run through the line, it shows you exactly what’s happening further down the pipe instead of leaving you to guess, whether that’s a build-up you can clear or something more structural like root intrusion.

Check for leaks you can’t always see

Not every leak announces itself with a puddle. Some just quietly push your water bill up for months before anyone notices.

That last one is worth doing properly. If your meter is moving with everything off, there’s a leak somewhere in the system, possibly underground, and it’s worth acting on quickly rather than waiting for the next quarterly bill to arrive.

Don’t skip the small stuff

A few things that take five minutes each but get overlooked constantly:

1. Clean aerators on taps, mineral buildup restricts flow and can make taps look like they’re failing when they’re just clogged
2. Check exposed pipework under the house or in the roof for corrosion or wear, particularly on older copper or galvanised sections
3. Test your water pressure if you can, anything consistently above 500 kPa is putting unnecessary strain on fittings and appliances
4. Look at seals around showers and baths, cracked or mouldy silicone lets water into wall cavities where it does real damage

When it’s worth calling someone in

DIY covers most of this list. But there’s a point where trying to save money ends up costing more. If you’re seeing rusty water from a hot tap, a TPR valve that won’t stop dripping after testing, or a drain that’s still slow after clearing visible debris, that’s the line where a licensed plumber earns their callout fee. Catching these things early is almost always cheaper than the emergency version of the same job.

Set a reminder, pick a weekend, and work through this once a year. It’s not a big job when you break it down, and it’s a lot less painful than dealing with a burst pipe or a failed hot water system in the middle of winter.