The Homeowner’s Guide to Maintaining Your Plumbing System

A plumbing system requires maintenance that is the responsibility of the homeowner.

To sustain your domestic plumbing, routinely look for leaks, keep drains clear of obstructions, wrap pipes in insulation for the winter, ensure that the water pressure is within normal limits, and have a licensed plumber go through the system once a year.

The water heater is typically the most common plumbing item to fail in a residential home.

The Homeowner's Guide to Maintaining Your Plumbing System recommends annual plumbing maintenance to ensure everything functions properly and to catch any potential problems early.

Most often, it is the homeowner who is in charge of the water lines from the meter or property boundary to the house, as well as all the plumbing and fixtures within the dwelling. This almost always includes the service line that runs from the water main to the house—increasingly, it also includes the plumbing connected to that service line (plumbing fixtures, drain pipes, and in some cases, water heaters) as part of the homeowner's domain. Since these rules can vary a lot, it's best to check local guidelines to see where your responsibility starts and stops.

In general, the homeowner must pay for plumbing problems that are their responsibility. If the plumbing problem originates from a mainwater line or sewer line outside of the house, the local water or sewer authority might handle it. Homeowner's insurance can cover some plumbing-related damages, depending on the terms of the policy and the cause of the problem. It's a good idea to relook your plumbing policy once in a while and check with your plumbing insurer to make sure you've got the coverage you need.

The Homeowner's Guide to Maintaining Your Plumbing System states that the homeowner is responsible for the part of the water line that runs from their property's water meter to the house.

The Homeowner’s Guide to Maintaining Your Plumbing System generally places the responsibility of maintaining and dealing with clogged sewer drains on the homeowner.

The typical house owner owns the water line that extends from the public water main to their home, encompassing the part of the line that runs under their yard. This means that the repair and upkeep of that part of the water line is, more often than not, the responsibility of the house owner.

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover leaks from the main water line unless the damage is sudden and accidental. They usually exclude normal wear and tear or plumbing maintenance failures. Because of that, it's important for homeowners to keep their plumbing in good shape and to purchase additional coverage if they want protection against the more likely plumbing disasters.