Because the cost of trades like electrical, plumbing, and HVAC has gone up dramatically over the years, people are becoming more aware of how important the condition of those systems are when making a home purchase. If you’re in the process of looking for a new home, here’s what you need to look for to find out whether the plumbing system is in good condition or it will need lots of work in the future.
Any Maintenance Records?
First, I would recommend that you check to see if there are any maintenance records for the home you’re interested in. If someone hasn’t maintained a system in the home (especially the plumbing system), there’s a good chance that it’s going to experience a failure in the near future. If someone did perform maintenance, it means that they care about it and they want it to stay in good working order. You might want to ask if there have been any type of maintenance programs or maintenance contracts on the plumbing system, HVAC system, etc. That’s a good indicator that it’s well taken care of.
Condition of Visible Pipes
Next, perform a visual look-around on the pipes that you can see. If there’s any type of corrosion, rust stains, water marks, or anything that might lead you to believe that there’s a leak, then be very cautious. Most generally, piping systems were put in at the same time as other components in the system. If there’s something wrong in one place, that means that there are probably other issues, too. The age/condition of other components in the system might be cause for concern.
Flushing of Water Heater
If possible, another thing you might try is to hook a hose to the bottom of the water heater and see if it’s been flushed. If you can’t flush it out, there’s a good possibility that it has never been flushed in the past. If you can flush it, then it either has good water quality or the system has been flushed regularly before. That probably means that the water heater’s life will be extended.
Ages of Plumbing Fixtures and Equipment
I’d also suggest that you look around and see if the previous owners have updated any of the plumbing fixtures or replaced any of the equipment in the home. (This could be one of the things that people do right as they’re trying to sell the house. If it’s brand new, this might not be a useful thing for you to do.) If you can tell that the components in the home have different ages and things have been updated or replaced, that’s a sign that the previous owner cared about the functionality and condition of those items. That means that they probably did their due diligence and took care of the home.
Let Us Inspect the System for You
If you’re already getting really serious about buying a home and you want us to take a deeper look, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382. We do a comprehensive inspection of many homes through maintenance agreements with our current clients. We can come out, look over the plumbing system, and give you a good feel for the kind of shape that it’s truly in.
