When do you call a plumber? If you're like most people, most if not all of the calls you've ever made to a plumber have been because something is going wrong. Your toilet is overflowing, or there's no water coming through your pipes. Surely, plumbers are there to provide these services. But did you know they also provide preventative maintenance services, including the following?

1. Flushing hot water heaters.

Hot water heaters' performance tends to decline as they age, but part of this is simply due to the buildup of sediment in the bottom of the tank. These mineral deposits interfere with the tank's ability to heat the water. Plumbers, however, can come flush your hot water heater, meaning that they remove the sediment from the bottom of the tank. This will instantly improve your water heater's efficiency, and it will also increase the tank's lifespan.

2. Cleaning drains.

Most people do not clean their drains until the drain becomes fully or mostly clogged. With this approach, you are waiting too long! Plumbers will come out and give your drain pipes a thorough cleaning, removing all grease, soap scrub, hair, and other debris before you get an actual clog. These days, they do so via a process known as hydrojetting, which basically involves shooting water down the pipes to blast the debris away. This is eco-friendly, fast, and efficient, and it will save you from the headache of clogged drains.

3. Washer hose cleaning.

The drain hose attached to your washer gets a lot of abuse. Everything from pet hair to detergent residue flows through there, and it can build up over time. A blocked washer hose can lead to overflows, and it can also get smelly. A plumber can typically clean the washer drain hose, but if it is badly clogged, they may just replace it for you; these hoses are quite inexpensive.

4. Valve maintenance.

There are a number of valves in your plumbing system. There are individual valves you can turn to shut off the water to sinks and toilets. There's also a water main valve that turns off the water supply to your whole home. It's important that these valves are well-lubricated and easy to turn so you can shut the water off in case of emergency. A plumber can perform that lubrication for you.

Talk to your plumber about other preventative maintenance services they offer. Taking advantage of these services often means fewer emergencies.