Every Los Angeles homeowner would like to be a little more handy around the house. Whether you actually aspire to work on and build your set of DIY skills, or wish to cut out the work altogether and magically make repairs happen with a snap of the finger, everyone desires to feel more in control of their own plumbing.

Well with the new year right around the corner, it’s time to put that abstract wish into action! Fortunately, you don’t even have to be great with a toolkit to help ensure the strength and longevity of your plumbing. The secret to being a DIY master is actually prevention. The better you are at identifying issues early on, the less money you’ll have to spend down the road.

Here are some basic ways in which anyone can familiarize themselves with their home’s plumbing.

Conduct a visual test

The easiest way to know the current state of your plumbing is to simply look for the following things:

• Corrosion

• Leaks

• Mildew

Corrosion

Over time, all plumbing fixtures will begin to rust and need replacement. It’s just a fact of home ownership. The more rusted-out something gets, the more expensive it generally is to repair. Avoid getting to that late-in-the-game stage by inspecting the plumbing early and often. For copper and brass pipes, look for greenish stains either directly on or around the area. Meanwhile, steel pipes show their corrosion through yellow and orange colorings that develop over time.

Once you’ve covered pipes and fixtures, make sure you also check the hot water heater. Traditional tanks last around 10 years or more with proper care, but rust does occur over time. It can negatively impact the appliance’s performance, and potentially even your tap water.

Leaks

Most of us know that the presence of leaks is probably a bad thing. However, we also tend to procrastinate fixing smaller issues that don’t immediately interfere with our lives; it’s just human nature. But as you refine your handy-man awareness, it’s important to note that any leak needs to be investigated further. It might just be the result of a faucet with loose-fitting parts, or it may be something more extreme, such as a busted water heater or about-to-burst pipe.

Mildew

Located along the shore, The South Bay tends to absorb the air off The Pacific Ocean, making the neighborhoods in this region such as Torrance a little more moist than the rest of our city. When combined with normal residential water usage, incidents of mildew can be a higher here.

When performing your visual test around the house, make sure you look for signs of mildew. It can mean excessive water seepage and in extreme cases, mold. If you see it but aren’t sure what to do, just contact the best plumber in Torrance. Ritz Plumbing’s team of technicians can perform a deeper inspection and determine what course of action, if any, needs to be taken.