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Section · Heaters, bills, cold nights
Around the House: The Small Jobs That Save the Big Ones
Home plumbing maintenance in Florida comes down to a few habits: set the water heater right, read your meter, get ready for the rare freeze, and check a plumber's license before anyone starts work.
In this section
Your Water Heater and Our Hard Aquifer Water
Hard water leaves lime and sediment in a water heater, so set it to 120°F, drain or flush it on the schedule in its manual, and never block the relief valve. Replacement in Seminole County needs a permit.
A High Water Bill Usually Has a Reason You Can Find
A high water bill often means a leak, and the meter can tell you in minutes. Shut off every water use, watch the flow indicator, then test the toilets and sprinklers before calling a plumber.
Freeze Nights: Protecting Pipes When Central Florida Drops Below 32°F
To protect pipes in a Florida freeze, focus on what sits outdoors or above ground: hose bibs, well equipment and backflow preventers. Freezes here average 1.2 to 2.3 days a year, mostly in January.
Before You Hire a Plumber, Look Up the License
To check a plumber's license in Florida, search the contractor's name or number with the state's licensing board, DBPR. Certified (CF) licenses work statewide; registered (RF) ones only where registered.
Home plumbing maintenance north of Orlando follows the calendar more than you might think. This time of year the lawn needs less: under St. Johns River Water Management District rules, lawns go to a single watering day per week starting Sunday, November 1, 2026, through the second Sunday in March. Between now and then come the few freezing nights we get, which by NOAA's 1991–2020 normals average 2.3 a year at the Sanford airport. It is a good stretch for the indoor jobs.
What's in this section?
Water heaters covers the 120°F setting, flushing out the sediment our hard aquifer water leaves behind, and the one part you must never block: the temperature and pressure relief valve and its pipe.
High water bill walks through the meter checks from EPA and Seminole County, the toilet dye test, and how to tell whether the sprinklers are the culprit.
Freeze nights is for the handful of nights a year when the forecast dips to freezing, with what to cover and what to leave alone.
Hiring a plumber shows how to read a Florida plumbing license, why a business tax receipt isn't one, and which jobs need a permit in Seminole County.
What can a homeowner handle?
More than you'd guess, as long as you stay on the right side of the line. Reading the water meter, shutting the main valve, testing a toilet with food coloring, setting sprinkler days, draining a little water from the heater the way its manual describes, and keeping records are all homeowner jobs. On a water heater, you can switch off its breaker before draining; anything past that, including gas burners, gas valves and wiring, is for a licensed pro.
Anything that means opening a wall, cutting a pipe, or replacing a water heater belongs with a licensed plumber. In Seminole County, even a straight swap of a water heater needs a permit.
One habit worth starting now
Learn where your main shutoff is and make sure it turns. When a pipe bursts or a supply line under a sink lets go, the minutes it takes to find the valve are the minutes that ruin the cabinet. If the valve is stuck or crusted, have a plumber look at it before you need it.