Spring Plumbing Checkup: 7 Things Every Kansas City Homeowner Should Inspect Before Summer

💧 Check All Outdoor Hose Bibs and Spigots

Turn on every outdoor faucet. Watch for dripping, spraying, or low pressure. A hose bib that froze and cracked over winter can leak inside the wall without you knowing, until you see water damage on your drywall.

What to look for:

• Water dripping from the handle or spout when turned on
• Water spraying from behind the wall (pipe cracked inside)
• No water at all (frozen or broken supply line)
• Rusty or corroded connections

KC-specific: Johnson County homes built before 2000 often have standard hose bibs (not frost-free). These are the most vulnerable to freeze damage. If yours froze this winter and you did not winterize, there is a high chance of a hidden crack.

🔥 Flush Your Water Heater

Sediment builds up at the bottom of your tank all winter. In Kansas City, our water is moderately hard (7-10 grains per gallon from WaterOne). That sediment acts as insulation between the burner and the water, your heater works harder, costs more, and dies sooner.

The math: A flushed water heater lasts 12-15 years. An unflushed one fails at 8-10. Replacement costs $1,500-$3,500. A flush costs $150-$250. That is a 6-14x return on a simple maintenance task.

What to check:

• Is the water heater making popping or rumbling sounds? (sediment boiling underneath)
• Is hot water rusty or discolored? (anode rod depleted)
• Is the T&P relief valve dripping? (pressure buildup)
• How old is the unit? Check the serial number, if it is over 10 years, start planning

💧 Test Your Water Pressure

Grab a $10 pressure gauge from any hardware store. Screw it onto an outdoor hose bib or laundry faucet. Normal range: 40-80 PSI.

What the readings mean:

• Below 40 PSI: Low pressure. Could be a failing PRV (pressure reducing valve), a partially closed main valve, or a supply line issue. Uncomfortable showers, slow-filling toilets.
• 40-80 PSI: Normal. No action needed.
• Above 80 PSI: Too high. Stresses pipes, fittings, and appliances. Causes water hammer (banging pipes). Can burst supply lines. You need a PRV installed or replaced.

KC-specific: WaterOne delivers water at varying pressures depending on your neighborhood's elevation. Homes in southern Overland Park and Leawood often run 90-100+ PSI from the main. A $35 PRV test can prevent a $5,000 supply line burst.

🛀 Run Every Drain and Check for Slow Flow

Run water in every sink, tub, and shower for 30 seconds. Watch how fast it drains. A slow drain in spring usually means one of two things: hair and soap buildup over winter, or tree roots growing into the drain line during the dormant season.

The root problem: Tree roots grow toward moisture year-round, but they accelerate in spring when the ground thaws. If a drain was slow in fall and you ignored it, roots have had 5 months to expand inside the pipe.

What to check:

• Multiple slow drains at once = main line problem (not individual drains)
• Gurgling sounds from drains when others are running = venting issue or partial blockage
• Sewage smell from any drain = trap dried out (pour water in) or sewer line issue

🔎 Inspect Your Sewer Line (Camera Inspection)

This is the one most homeowners skip, and the one that costs the most when it fails. A sewer camera inspection takes 30-45 minutes and shows you exactly what is happening underground.

Why spring is the time: Roots that grew into cracks over winter are now expanding rapidly with spring moisture. A crack that was a minor issue in October can be a full blockage by June.

What the camera finds:

• Root intrusion (most common in Johnson County clay tile pipes)
• Bellies or sags where water and debris collect
• Cracks, offsets, or joint separation
• Orangeburg pipe deterioration (if your home was built 1940s-1970s)

🧪 Test Your Water Quality

Kansas City water from WaterOne is safe to drink, but "safe" and "ideal" are different. Hard water, chlorine, and dissolved minerals affect everything from your skin and hair to your appliances and pipes.

Quick DIY test: Look at your faucet aerators and showerheads. White crusty buildup = hard water. Your dishwasher leaving spots on glasses? Hard water. Dry skin after showers? Chlorine + hard water.

What a professional test reveals:

• Hardness level: WaterOne averages 7-10 gpg. Above 7 is considered hard. A water softener eliminates scale buildup and extends appliance life.
• TDS (Total Dissolved Solids): High TDS = more minerals passing through your pipes and into your body.
• pH level: Low pH (acidic water) corrodes copper pipes from inside. Common in older KC homes.
• Chlorine: WaterOne uses chloramine disinfection. A whole-home carbon filter removes it.

👁 Visual Inspection: Supply Lines, Shut-Offs, and Toilets

This takes 10 minutes and catches the leaks that cause the most water damage in homes.

Check these:

• Under every sink: Look at the supply lines (the braided hoses connecting to the shut-off valves). Any moisture, corrosion, or bulging = replace immediately. These burst and flood.
• Behind toilets: Check the supply line and shut-off valve. Jiggle the handle, if the toilet keeps running, the flapper needs replacing ($5 DIY fix that saves $50-$100/month in water).
• Water main shut-off: Find it. Make sure it turns. If you have a plumbing emergency and cannot shut off the water, a $500 repair becomes a $10,000 flood.
• Washing machine hoses: Rubber hoses older than 5 years should be replaced with braided stainless steel. Washing machine hose failures are the #1 cause of home water damage claims.