Plumbing To Look For When Buying A House
Buying a home can be a major life decision, especially for first time buyers. Often times, older homes need updated plumbing. Unsuspecting buyers can be saddled with thousands of dollars of plumbing related expenses if they aren’t careful. Here are some thing to look out for when buying a new home.
Septic
If the house you’re looking at has a septic system, there are multiple factors to consider:
- How old is the septic system?
- How many bedrooms is the septic system rated for?
- Has the septic leaked before?
All of these questions will help you determine the overall health of the septic system. In some cases, older septic system will need to be replaced. In other cases, the septic may be rated for a 3 bedroom home even if the home only has 2 bedrooms, giving you some extra value.
Full Or Half Bath
If you’re looking at a house with more than one bathroom, you should consider how many full and half baths there are. Half baths sometimes don’t have the plumbing for a shower, so you may not be able to add one in later.
Full baths obviously do have the plumbing for a shower, but taking out the shower could lower the property value. It’s important to know what types of bathrooms you have.
Hard Water
Well water tends to have higher mineral concentrations than city water. When water has a high enough concentration of minerals, it’s considered “hard water”. The minerals can be considered rough on your hair and skin. If you’re looking at a home, check to see if it has been tested for hard water. While hard water can be fixed relatively quickly by installing a water softener, some people are overly sensitive to both hard and soft water.
Leaks
It’s important to take note of any pipes that have drip trays underneath them. If a pipe does not have a drip tray underneath it, see if there are any signs of water damage or spills. This will give you an idea of how many pipes need to be replaced or worked on.
It’s always important to be aware of how a property is plumbed before you consider buying, as you can avoid many unnecessary headaches. If you have plumbing that needs to be worked on or replaced, call Stonelink Plumbing.
