Plunging - The best plunger for clearing a sink drain is the kind with a neck on it.

Stop Valves - Plumbing stop valves or cut-offs can be found in various locations about the house. the most important one is the main water meter cut-off. Know where it's located. Major damage from a plumbing mishap can be avoided if you can get the water shut off quickly.

Leaks - To prevent leaks, don't forget to wrap the threads (clockwise, no more than 2 layers and don't cover the first 2 threads.) of all threaded pipes with Teflon tape before you connect them.

Twice yearly, open and close all shut off valves – main (at meter), at toilets, above hot water tank, under all sinks (if any). This will keep them free of sediment and will allow them to be closed if needed.

Toilet Leaks? - Put a bit of food coloring in each toilet tank. Without flushing, watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It's not uncommon to lose up to 300 litres a day from one of these otherwise invisible toilet leaks. And that's more than 90,000 litres a year!