Good call on labeling pipes clearly—trust me, I've seen some hilarious (and costly) mix-ups from unlabeled plumbing. DIY is awesome, but you're spot on about gas and electrics. Seen too many weekend warriors get in over their heads...better to leave that stuff to someone who knows exactly what they're doing. Maintenance checks might feel superficial, sure, but catching a small issue early beats dealing with a flooded basement at 2am. Ask me how I know...
"Maintenance checks might feel superficial, sure, but catching a small issue early beats dealing with a flooded basement at 2am."
Been there myself... nothing like waking up to ankle-deep water to make you appreciate regular checks. Curious, did you install any leak detection sensors after that incident? I've been thinking about adding some myself.
Leak sensors are honestly a great investment—seen them save folks from some serious headaches more times than I can count. Had a client who didn't catch a tiny drip behind the boiler until it turned into a full-blown mess... sensors would've caught it way earlier. They're pretty affordable now, and easy enough to set up yourself. Definitely worth considering if you've ever had to mop up at 2am, haha.
Leak sensors definitely help catch hidden leaks early, but I'm curious—do you guys think placing them directly under the boiler is enough, or should they go in other spots too? I had one job where the leak actually started higher up in a pipe joint, and by the time water reached the sensor on the floor, damage was already underway. Wondering if anyone's tried positioning sensors differently or found a better spot to catch leaks sooner...
"I had one job where the leak actually started higher up in a pipe joint, and by the time water reached the sensor on the floor, damage was already underway."
Yeah, been there... learned that lesson the hard way myself. A few things I've tried since then:
- Put sensors near pipe joints or valves higher up, especially if they're known trouble spots.
- Added one behind the boiler where pipes enter/exit—caught a drip early that way once.
- Used cheap plastic trays under joints to funnel water down to sensors below (budget hack, but it works!).
Can't cover every inch, but spreading them around definitely helps catch leaks sooner.
