Plumbing is something we often take for granted, but without it we wouldn't have warm showers, toilets that flush or the means to pressure wash the driveway. Not only that, a working plumbing system is key to sanitation — in your home and your community.

"It is a known motto in the plumbing community that the plumber protects the health of the nation," says Aaron Mulder, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing in San Antonio, Tex. "As soon as you don't have working plumbing systems in a country, things start to deteriorate."

That's why, Mulder says, homeowners need to pay attention to the plumbing in their homes. This involves things like fixing leaks in a timely manner, replacing broken parts before they completely fail and regularly checking water pressure.

Perhaps even more importantly, it's avoiding common behaviors that wreak havoc on a home's plumbing system. What are those behaviors? We went straight to the plumbers themselves to find out.