Most of the repairs we get called out for were visible months earlier, if anyone had looked. The water heater that finally quit had been running loud since spring; the slab leak that soaked a carpet had been nudging the water bill up for three billing cycles. A maintenance plan is simply the looking — once a year, by a licensed plumber who knows what fails in this city and why.
Why homes here need this more than most
Water across the region tests between 15 and 20 grains per gallon, which the hardness scale rates as very hard. Every appliance that heats or holds that water accumulates scale. A water heater in Ohio might reach fifteen years; the same unit here often starts failing at eight or nine, because the tank bottom is insulated by mineral sediment that makes the burner work harder for less hot water.
Then add slab construction. Most homes built here from the 1970s onward sit on a concrete slab with supply lines running underneath it. When clay soil swells in a wet spring and shrinks in an August drought, the slab moves and the copper moves with it. A pinhole that opens under a slab does not announce itself with a puddle — it shows up as a warm spot on the floor, a bill that crept up, or the sound of water running with every fixture closed.
The short version: hard water shortens the life of everything that heats water, and slab movement creates leaks you cannot see. Both are gradual, both are cheap to catch early, and both are expensive to catch late.
What gets checked
Nothing on this list is padding. It is the set of things that, in our experience, either fail or warn you first.
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Water heater
Sediment flush, anode rod condition, thermostat accuracy, T&P valve test and connection corrosion. The anode rod is the one most homeowners have never heard of and the one that decides whether the tank rusts through.
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Whole-home pressure
A static reading at a hose bib. Anything sustained above 80 psi is hard on every fixture and appliance in the house, and it is common here. If it is high we check whether a regulator exists and whether it still works.
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Slab leak indicators
Meter test with everything closed, floor temperature scan along likely runs, and a look at bill history if you have it. A meter that creeps with the house shut off is the clearest early signal there is.
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Drains and traps
Flow rate at each fixture, trap and vent condition, and any pattern of slow drainage that points further down the line rather than at a local clog.
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Shutoffs and supply lines
Angle stops under sinks and toilets, washing machine hoses, and the main shutoff. Old angle stops seize open, which means you cannot isolate a leak without killing water to the whole house.
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Toilets and fixtures
Flapper and fill valve condition, dye test for silent leaks, aerator scale and cartridge wear. A silently leaking toilet can waste more water than the rest of the house combined.
What you get afterwards
A written condition report rather than a verbal “everything looks fine.” Each item is marked good, monitor, or needs attention, with a note on what monitoring actually means in practice and roughly how long you have. If something needs attention you get the cost before any work starts, and you are free to have someone else do it.
The report is worth keeping. If you sell the house, a documented annual plumbing inspection answers questions a buyer’s inspector is going to raise anyway, particularly about water heater age and any slab history.
Is it worth it for your house?
Honestly, not for everyone. Here is how we would think about it, and we will give you the same answer on the phone.
| Your situation | Our read |
|---|---|
| Built before 2005, on a slab | Worth it. Supply lines are old enough that slab leaks are a live risk, and early detection is the whole game. |
| Water heater is six years old or more | Worth it. Annual flushing meaningfully extends tank life in water this hard, and you get warning before a failure floods a garage. |
| No water softener fitted | Worth it. Untreated water at 15 to 20 grains is doing steady damage to every heated fixture in the house. |
| New build under five years, softener installed | Probably not yet. Come back when the water heater hits year five. |
| A rental or a property you do not live in | Worth it. Tenants report failures, not warnings, and by then it is a repair. |
What a plan costs
- Property size and fixture countA three-bedroom single-storey and a five-bathroom two-storey are different visits. We price on what is actually there.
- How many propertiesLandlords and multi-property owners are quoted per property, and the rate improves with volume.
- What the visit turns upThe inspection price is fixed. Anything found is quoted separately, and nothing gets done without your approval.
- Repairs you go ahead withPlan members get the diagnostic fee credited against work done on the same visit rather than paying twice for the same trip.
Ask for the figure when you call. We would rather quote your actual house than publish a number that only fits half of them.
What tends to come out of a visit
A maintenance visit is diagnostic, not a repair contract. Common outcomes are water heater service or replacement, a softener installation when scale is clearly the root problem, or leak detection when the meter test comes back positive. If something urgent turns up — an actively leaking supply line, a failed T&P valve — we can usually deal with it the same day rather than making you book again.
How the year tends to run
- Book the visit. Autumn suits most homes, before the first cold snap finds anything.
- We inspect, test and flush, and show you anything on the list that is moving in the wrong direction.
- You get the written report the same day, with each item marked good, monitor or needs attention.
- Anything urgent we can handle there and then; anything that can wait, waits with a date on it.
Work is carried out by licensed plumbers under our Responsible Master Plumber, license RMP-43333, issued by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. You can verify that license yourself.
What San Antonio homeowners say
Reviews pulled live from our Google Business Profile, not retyped here.
Questions homeowners ask us
How often should a San Antonio home have a plumbing inspection?
Once a year suits most homes here. That matches the water heater flush interval, which is the single most valuable item on the list given local hardness. Homes over thirty years old, or with a known slab history, sometimes justify every six months.
What does the plan include?
A full inspection of the water heater, whole-home pressure, slab leak indicators, drains, shutoff valves and fixtures, followed by a written condition report. Repairs are quoted separately and never carried out without your approval.
Can an inspection actually find a slab leak?
It can find strong evidence of one. A meter test with every fixture closed will show movement if water is escaping anywhere in the system, and that is usually the first hard confirmation. Pinpointing the exact location under the slab is a separate step using acoustic and thermal equipment.
Does flushing a water heater really extend its life?
In water this hard, measurably. Sediment settles on the tank bottom and insulates the burner from the water, which raises the temperature the steel itself has to tolerate. Removing that layer once a year is the difference between a tank that makes its rated life and one that does not.
What water pressure is too high?
Anything sustained above 80 psi. High pressure shortens the life of water heaters, washing machine hoses, toilet fill valves and faucet cartridges, and it is a common finding in parts of San Antonio. The fix is a pressure reducing valve, which is a straightforward install.
Do I need this if my house is new?
Not immediately. A home under five years old with a working softener has very little to find. The useful starting point is when the water heater reaches year five, or sooner if there is no softener.
Will you try to sell me repairs during the visit?
We will tell you what we found and what it costs to fix, and that is the end of our part. The report marks items good, monitor or needs attention, and plenty of visits end with nothing in the third column. You are free to take the report to another plumber.
Do you cover homes outside San Antonio proper?
Yes. We work from our Helotes base across Stone Oak, Boerne, Bulverde, Schertz, Helotes and Somerset.
The cheapest repair is the one you catch early.
Ninety minutes, a written report, and an honest answer about whether your house needs this yet. Some years the right answer is not yet — we will say so.
Silverback Plumbing & Drain provides licensed plumbing and drain service for homes and businesses throughout the San Antonio area. From emergency repairs to routine maintenance, we diagnose the problem, explain the fix, and get it done right the first time.
Contact Info
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Emergency service available nights, weekends, and holidays.
Copyright © 2026 Silverback Plumbing and Drain
Mark Vargas, Responsible Master Plumber #43333 Licensed through the Texas Board of Plumbing Examiners P.O. Box 4200, Austin, Texas 78765 (800-845-6584)