When you’re looking at buying a house, you know there’s a checklist of potential problems to watch out for and that list of potential problems includes several related to plumbing. Plumbing problems when buying a house could end up turning your dream home into an absolute nightmare if you get stuck with the wrong ones. While some are minor, these little issues could wear on you after having to deal with them day after day. The major ones could pose a major risk to your health and safety, or if left unchecked, they could even end up causing damage to the rest of the house.
To address any of these plumbing problems in your new home, you might be looking at spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Buying a home is expensive as it is! Nobody wants to be spending hundreds or thousands of dollars extra when you were expecting to get a move-in ready house. But after you sign the closing papers, that new home’s plumbing problems are now your problems to deal with.
This is why it’s important that you figure out what potential plumbing problems you could have. If you learn of these problems before you go to settlement, you could ask the seller to take care of them, you could budget properly and hire a contractor to fix them before you move in, or (depending on how bad these plumbing problems are) you could decide to move on from the property and not actually put in an offer on it.
Here are some of the major plumbing problems you might run into when buying a new house and how you can check for them:
Take a close look at the toilets
When you go into the bathroom, you want to pay close attention to where the base of the toilet touches the bathroom floor. Is it properly sealed? If you sit on the toilet (you can do this with the lid down and your pants on if you haven’t bought the house yet), is the toilet stable, or does it rock back and forth? Also, give the toilet a flush to make sure it flushes well and the tank refills easily.
Turn on the sinks and showers
If you’re looking at an old house, there’s a chance there could be some rust that comes out of any water appliance when you first turn it on. This is normal in older homes that have been sitting vacant for a long time without anyone running the water. In this case, the rust should disappear after the water runs for a few seconds. However, if the water continues to be rusty, as indicated by a reddish-brown color after it’s been running for a while, then there could be corrosion inside the pipes that need to be addressed. While the water is running, you should also pay attention to the drains. Sink, bathtub, and shower drains should all empty quickly without any backup of water. If the sink or bathtub starts to fill up when the drain is open, this indicates that there is a blockage farther down the drainpipe.
Consider how old the hot water tank is
Ask about the hot water tank, specifically how old it is and how it appears from the outside. Remember that a well-maintained hot water tank will last only about 10 years—and a poorly maintained heater will last an even shorter amount of time. If a hot water tank has obvious signs of rust or corrosion, that’s a sign it hasn’t been taken care of. And if you’re approaching that 10-year mark, you could be looking at a need to replace the hot water tank as soon as you move in.
Examine the sewer line
If you can hire a professional to come out and look at the sewer line, they can run a camera through to look at any obstructions in the sewer line near the home. This saves you the trouble of moving into a house and finding out that a tree root from a tree in the backyard has wormed its way into a crack in the sewer line causing a clog.
Look at the water supply lines as well
Like everything else in a home, water supply lines will need to be replaced at some point or another. But water supply lines that are made out of high-quality material will last longer than poor-quality ones. Look for water supply lines that are made of copper or plastic, which will not corrode like steel. Iron pipes often lead to mineral buildup and lead pipes can cause lead poisoning. PVC pipes are inexpensive but do not last long at all. While you’re examining the water lines, keep an eye out for signs of water discoloration or leaks.
If you’re about to buy a home and need insight from a professional, our team here at Linthicum Plumbing is ready to serve you. Call us today at 410-768-5350.