February home maintenance is about water: catching small plumbing leaks before they become floor, cabinet or ceiling damage. These six checks follow the February page of your printed calendar and take about an hour.
C18 - 6 Month Maintenance Checklist
$59.00 AUD
Last updated 10 Oct 2026 · Revision 2 · Free updates for life
Checklist Type: Minor
Form Factor: Fillable, print-ready PDF (A4, 19 pages) with a maintenance calendar and log
When to use: After handover: your first six months and ongoing home maintenance
A 110-point home maintenance checklist with a calendar and log. Plan preventative maintenance, find small problems early and keep your warranties in good order.
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This month's checks
These February home maintenance checks come from the plumbing and hot water sections of our C18 6 Month Maintenance checklist.
1Lift the hot water relief valve
The relief valve lets water out if the temperature or pressure in the tank gets too high. Dirt and scale can build up on its seat, so it may not open or close properly when it's needed.
- Read the maker's instructions on the unit or in your handover manual first.
- Find the drain outlet for the valve, and keep everyone, including yourself, well clear of it. The water is very hot.
- Lift the easing lever gently and briefly, as the maker says, then let it close gently.
- Check the water stops flowing from the drain.
The valve keeps dripping, won't reseat, or no water comes out at all.
If any of those happen. Call a licensed plumber. Never block, cap or tie off the valve or its drain.
AS/NZS 3500.4 (clause 5.11.3) requires the relief drain to fall continuously from the valve, with no tap, valve or other restriction on it.
2Check the flexible hoses under your sinks
A burst flexi hose is one of the most common causes of water damage in new homes. It can flood a kitchen or vanity in the time you're out.
- Empty the cupboards under the kitchen sink, vanities and laundry tub.
- Use a torch to look along each braided hose, end to end.
- Run a dry hand along it and over the nuts at each end.
- Put a dry paper towel under the connections and check it later for damp.
- Find the isolation valve on each hose so you can turn it off fast.
Rust spots, frayed or broken strands, bulges, tight kinks, or a damp cupboard base.
If you see any of these. A licensed plumber replaces the hose. You can hand-tighten a nut that weeps, but nothing more.
Flexible hoses are made to AS 3499, which covers hoses for above-ground, accessible use. Your plumber should fit a WaterMark-certified replacement.
3Clean the aerators and shower heads, and fix dripping taps
Sediment clogs aerators and shower nozzles and cuts the flow. A dripping tap wastes water and wears the tap seat.
- Unscrew each tap aerator by hand, with a cloth to protect the finish.
- Rinse the screen, soak off any scale in white vinegar, then refit it.
- Wipe or soak the shower head nozzles, as the maker says.
- Turn each tap off firmly and watch for drips.
- For an old-style washer tap, turn off the water first, then replace the washer.
Drips after the tap is off, spitting or uneven spray, or weak flow from one outlet only.
If a mixer tap drips (it has a cartridge, not a washer), a tap still drips after a new washer, or you see water in a wall. Call a licensed plumber.
4Clean the sink and basin traps and freshen the drains
Hair, grease and soap build up in the trap. That slows draining and causes smells.
- Put a bucket under the trap and wear gloves.
- Where the trap unscrews by hand, remove the bottom section and clear it.
- Refit it hand-tight, run the water and check for drips.
- Flush each drain with hot water. Avoid harsh chemicals unless the fitting maker allows them.
- Pour water into floor wastes you rarely use, so the trap doesn't dry out and let smells in.
Slow draining, gurgling, sewer smells, or a drip from the trap after you've refitted it.
If the blockage is past the trap, or several fixtures are slow at once. That can mean a blocked drain. Call a licensed plumber.
The QBCC Standards and Tolerances Guide (section 8.9) treats outlets that don't drain properly as defective, unless the owner or someone outside the builder's control caused it.
5Do the food colouring test in each cistern
A toilet seal that leaks lets water trickle into the pan all day. It's quiet, and you only notice it on the water bill.
- Lift the cistern lid, or take off the access panel on an in-wall cistern.
- Add a few drops of food colouring to the cistern water.
- Don't flush. Wait 15 minutes.
- Look in the pan. If the colour has reached it, the seal leaks.
- Flush afterwards so the colour doesn't stain.
Colour in the pan, a cistern that refills on its own, or a constant hiss.
If the test shows a leak. A licensed plumber can replace the seal or valve.
6Check the hot water overflow runs to a drain
Water from the relief valve or overflow that lands on the ground beside the house can cause local soil swelling and movement near the footings. More on your home's services: What is MEP?
- Go to the hot water unit and find the copper relief drain and any overflow pipe.
- Follow each one to where it ends.
- Check it ends at a drain, tundish or overflow relief gully, not on bare ground.
- Look for a wet patch, washed-out soil or moss nearby.
A pipe ending over soil next to the slab, ground that's always wet, or a pipe that's crushed, blocked or capped.
If the drain ends on the ground or is damaged. Call a licensed plumber. In your defects period, tell your builder in writing.
AS/NZS 3500.4 (clause 5.11.3) requires the discharge point to be easy to see, and placed so hot water doesn't risk injuring people or damaging the building.
Where you live changes the timing
Plan your february home maintenance around your climate.
- North (QLD, NT, northern WA, northern NSW). It's still the wet season. After heavy rain, check the stormwater pits and sumps are draining.
- South (temperate). It's hot and dry. Water the garden evenly, and don't over-water beside the slab.
Every month, as well
Add these to your february home maintenance, as every month:
- Test every smoke alarm with the test button.
- Clean the air-con filters while you're using it.
- Check wet areas for mould and run the exhaust fans.
- Walk around: note new cracks, leaks, stains or sticking doors.
- Record what you did in your maintenance log.
The short version
February home maintenance is a water hunt: the relief valve, the flexi hoses, taps, traps, cisterns and the hot water overflow. Most of it is looking and cleaning. Anything past a washer, a trap or a hand-tight fitting goes to a licensed plumber.
Next month: March home maintenance.
FAQs
Is it safe to lift the hot water relief valve myself?
Yes, if you follow the maker's instructions and stand clear, because the water is very hot. If it keeps dripping or won't reseat, call a licensed plumber.
Can I replace a flexi hose myself?
No. Replacing a hose is plumbing work for a licensed plumber. You can check hoses and hand-tighten an accessible fitting.
How long does February home maintenance take?
About an hour for all six checks, plus the 15 minute wait for the cistern test, which you can do while you work on the traps.