Turnover-day plumbing check

The procedure

1. Toilets. Flush each one and listen. A tank that keeps refilling is leaking. Do the dye test from RS-3 once a month.
2. Drains. Run every sink, tub and shower for 30 seconds. Slow drains in summer are usually sand and hair; see RS-2.
3. Under sinks. Open the cabinets and feel the floor and the supply lines. Guests rarely report a slow drip.
4. Water heater area. Look for water in the pan and at the relief valve pipe. Never cap that pipe.
5. Outdoor shower. Check that it drains, that handles shut fully and that nothing has been hung from the shower arm.
6. Hoses and bibbs. Make sure hoses are not left on with the nozzle closed in the sun.
7. Meter glance. With nothing running, the meter's leak dial should stand still.
8. Write it down. Note anything odd in the house notebook so the next turnover can compare.

Why check plumbing between every booking?

Short stays mean many first-time users in one season, more showers and more sand. Small drips become big bills when nobody lives in the house to notice them.

What should guests be told?

Where the main shutoff is, that the outdoor shower drains to the sand or a drain line and isn't a place to rinse paint or fish, and who to call if water appears where it shouldn't.

The numbers behind it

Questions owners ask

Should guests know where the main shutoff is?

Yes. A tag on the valve and a line in the house notes can save a ceiling.

How often should I look at the water heater?

A glance at every changeover takes seconds; a full check by a plumber once a year.

Is a slow drain a turnover problem or a plumber problem?

Hair and sand at the trap are turnover problems. Several slow drains at once point to the main drain and need a plumber.