How To Know If The Home You Are Looking At Has Bad Plumbing

Home ownership is likely one of the biggest purchases you’ll make in your life, so you inspect every area of a potential home. Spotting problems in a potential’s home plumbing system can serve as a bargaining chip. Locating plumbing issue enables you to request that the issue be addressed before making the purchase, so that you don’t end up using your finances to fix the preexisting problem after the sale. If you’ve fallen in love a potential residence, check these four areas before submitting an offer.

Check the House for Leaks

Look for signs of leaks like mold, damp areas and rot. Advanced Plumbing and Drains, one of the more adept plumbers in Toronto, suggests focusing your inspection around plumbing fixtures, like sinks and toilets, and in areas where the pipe system is exposed. If you encounter signs of plumbing leakage, call in local professionals confirm your suspicions. If professionals confirm your suspicions, there’s little room for the seller to deny or downplay the findings.

Inspect the Pipe System

Lead pipes are a serious health hazard especially for children. If your potential home has lead pipes, you may need to look a bit further for a new place to live. The home will eventually require that it’s owner re-pipes it, but the cost of doing so may be too much for the seller to accomplish in order to complete the housing transaction with you. While re-piping isn’t a minor undertaking, your seller may consider having it done if you raise the issue.

Survey the Water Heater

A failing hot water heater means you’ll have to plan on replacing it soon — meanwhile, you’ll end up wasting energy operating it as it continues to fail. You check the water heater for signs of leakage and you can also drain it to see how much calcium and other sediment has built up inside of it.

If the water heater shows signs of heavy wear, raise the issue with the seller. If you’re uncomfortable in your ability to perform a thorough inspection of the water heater, contact a professional for assistance.

Check the Water Pressure

If your prospective house still have water service running to it, check out the home’s water pressure. Low water pressure indicates that there is a leak somewhere in the home’s pipe system. Before making any conclusions on the water pressure, check the home’s water valve to ensure that it’s fully open.

Rust Stains

Another warning sign to look out for is rust stains that appear on the surface of tubs, toilet bowls, or sink basins. This is a sign of serious pipe corrosion and that your supply system may be failing or springing a major leak. What may be causing this is high mineral content in your water or problems with your water heater. Make sure you check these possibles first before anything else. Don’t ignore symptoms of plumbing system failure or it could cost you more money in the future.

Savannah Coulsen is a freelance  writer. She lives in Raleigh. Savannah loves to read and write and she hopes to write a novel someday. Savannah also loves learning and is a self-proclaimed health guru. Savannah got information for this article from Advanced Plumbing and Drains.