Spring is the plumbing season nobody thinks about, and that is exactly why it matters. Winter quietly stresses your pipes, freezing, expansion, ground shifting, and the damage often does not show until you turn things back on. A 30-minute walk-through now catches a cracked spigot or a tired sump pump before an April downpour or the first hot shower finds it for you. This completes the seasonal set alongside our winterizing and summer checklists.
The Spring Plumbing Checklist
- Turn on and test every outdoor faucet. Open each hose bib and put your thumb over the opening, if you can stop the flow, there is a cracked pipe inside leaking behind the wall. A frozen, split spigot is the most common winter casualty; see outdoor faucet leaking.
- Reopen any valves you closed for winter to outdoor lines and irrigation, and check those connections for drips as they pressurize.
- Test the sump pump. Spring is peak basement-flood season. Pour a bucket of water in the pit, the pump should kick on, pump out, and shut off. If it does not, see sump pump not working now, not during the storm.
- Check supply lines and shutoffs under sinks, behind the washer, and at toilets for any seepage or corrosion that the cold may have started.
- Look for hidden leaks. Read your water meter, then do not use water for an hour, if it moved, you have a leak. Our find-a-water-leak guide walks the rest.
- Inspect the water heater. Look for rust or moisture at the base and, if you have not in a year, flush the sediment that built up over winter.
- Check drains and gutters flow. Pour water down floor drains to refill dried-out traps (that kills sewer smell), and make sure downspouts carry snowmelt away from the foundation.
- Test water pressure. Put a gauge on an outside spigot, 40-60 psi is the target; a big change over winter is worth investigating.
- Clean faucet aerators and shower heads of any mineral buildup so spring does not start with weak flow, our aerator-cleaning guide is two minutes.
- Service outdoor frost-free spigots. If a spigot weeps, a frost-free sillcock is a cheap upgrade that prevents next winter’s split.
The One to Not Skip
If you only do one thing, test every outdoor faucet with the thumb trick. A pipe that froze and split over winter will spray inside the wall the moment you open it, and people flood a wall cavity every spring not knowing the spigot failed. Two minutes per faucet saves a drywall repair.
When to Call a Pro
This checklist is all homeowner-level. Call a plumber if a spigot fails the thumb test (split pipe in the wall), if the meter shows a leak you cannot locate, if the sump pump is dead and rain is coming, or if you find active water damage from a winter freeze. Catching these in a calm spring inspection is far cheaper than discovering them mid-emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be on a spring plumbing checklist?
The essentials: test every outdoor faucet for winter freeze damage, reopen valves you closed for the season, test the sump pump before spring rains, check supply lines and shutoffs for seepage, look for hidden leaks using your water meter, inspect and flush the water heater, refill dried-out floor-drain traps, and check your water pressure. The goal is to catch any winter damage before warm-weather demand exposes it.
How do I check my outdoor faucet after winter?
Turn the faucet on fully, then put your thumb over the opening. If you can completely stop the water with your thumb, it means the pipe behind it cracked over winter and water is escaping inside the wall, you should shut it off and repair it. If you cannot hold back the flow, the line is intact. This thumb test is the single most important spring plumbing check because a split spigot floods a wall silently.
Should I test my sump pump in spring?
Yes, spring is the most important time to test it, because melting snow and spring rains are when basements flood. Pour a bucket of water into the sump pit and confirm the pump switches on, removes the water, and shuts off cleanly. If it hums without pumping, does not start, or runs constantly, address it before the next big rain rather than discovering the failure with water on the floor.
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