2-minute read · My Free Water Report

Reviewed by Tyler Griffin, Founder, SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

What your water report can't see: your house

City data ends at the street. The last hundred feet, your pipes, your pressure, your tank, is its own story.

Your water report is real, measured data, but it describes the water the utility delivers. Between the street and your kitchen tap sits the part no city report covers: your house. Three things in particular:

• Your water heaterHard water builds scale inside the tank, making it work harder and wear out years early. Popping or rumbling sounds? That's sediment talking, and a yearly water heater flush is how it comes out.
• Your water pressureAbove roughly 80 psi, pressure quietly stresses pipes, fixture seals, and appliance valves. Most homeowners have never had it measured.
• Hardness at your tapSpots on dishes, scale on fixtures, dry skin, stiff laundry. Your free water report shows how hard your utility's water runs. Only your fixtures and your tank show what years of it have done. What a softener fixes, and what it can't.

None of that shows up in a water report, and it's usually what decides which fix, if any, is worth it for your home. The city-side story is still worth knowing: your system's page covers it.

How to fill in the picture

Start with the water heater, since it's where hard water does the most damage (how often to flush one, and what it costs). A $99 water heater flush (normally $199) drains the sediment out of the tank and checks the anode rod, relief valve and thermostat. The plumbing safety check comes with it: supply hoses, shutoff valves, a water pressure reading at the tap, drains, toilets and traps, all with photos.

You pay after the visit, and nothing gets fixed without you saying yes.

Go deeper: lead comes from your plumbing · how to test your water · water heaters and hard water

More short reads: the full list →