Top 5 Plumbing Things To Check For When Buying A Home
If there is one piece of advice we could give to every single aspiring homeowner, never fall in love with a property…
Until you’ve checked the plumbing.
Buying a home is a huge investment. The property you purchase needs to be more than within budget, in a good location and in your aesthetic.
Unfortunately, generic building inspections rarely examine the drains and plumbing to the extent required. While they check the sewer layout, this does not mean they have looked at the status of the hot water system, fixtures, water metre, pipes and water pressure.
Luckily, you can do many of the crucial plumping checks without a professional. Likewise, for the inspections you do need an expert for, Aquatap have your back.
1. Check the Hot Water System
Did you know hot water systems only last around 10 years? Don’t fall into the trap of inheriting a water system that is on its last leg of the 10th year. Check the hot water unit (which is typically found outside) and note the model number and serial number. While you’re there, you can also check for corrosion, like rust, as this can also impact the longevity of the system.
You can email Aquatap the serial and model number so that we can advise you of the hot water system’s age.
2. Turn On All the Taps
We mean all of them. Check the kitchen sink, dishwasher, shower, bathroom sinks, laundry, and any taps outside. We’ve heard countless horror stories where people move into their new property and the dishwasher is broken, the water pressure is abysmal, and the taps fall off, don’t close, won’t run warm, or emit a terrible smell. This is a relatively simple check that you can do without a professional and should do thoroughly when you inspect.
3. Flush the Toilets
Similar to the point above, you don’t want to move into a new house and find out (at the worst possible time) that your toilet doesn’t flush properly. Test the toilets by flushing them using both full and half flash and check that they empty and refill properly. Again, you don’t need an expert to do this, so you would be a fool to leave it off your ‘to check’ list.
4. Look for Signs of Water Damage
Water damage can range from moldy, cracked or discolored timber (think inside wardrobes, skirting boards), ceilings, floorboards or walls. Water damage can also be a strange smell in the air or pools of water on the balcony after it has rained. Don’t be shy about opening gutter grates and peering inside to see if residue water has stayed or dried up. Of course, the drier the inside of the drain, the better.
5. Request a Sewer Pipe Map
Once you have acquired the sewer pipe map of the property, scan the garden to see if there are any unusually green or healthy plants in comparison to those around them. If there are some glowing green plants and they are on the sewer line, chances are they are soaking up the benefits of a cracked or leaking pipe - buyer beware!
Remember, you can always ask a certified plumbing specialist to accompany you on your home inspection so that you aren’t left with any nasty surprises or bills once you’ve moved into your new home.
Buying a property should be an exciting experience; leave the worrying to the professionals. For all your plumbing needs, you can give us a call on
