Your plumbing system is one of the most important components in your home. So let's cover some of the basic topics that may come up on your inspection report.
Corrosion is probably one of the most common write-ups for plumbing issues. Corrosion is quite common in our area with the piping materials and the heat. No matter how well the installation was done, sometimes with the expansion of the materials and the excessive heat, you will get corrosion around connections. Plenty of times this can be brushed off and with no more major concern.
It is when you have the heavier cloud shape or excessive corrosion. That is more of a concern. In many instances, this can be considered a self-sealing leak. This is where it leaks at certain times, and then dries up quick enough just creating the corrosion. These definitely should be repaired prior to inspection or they will definitely be called out.
Leaks. Well, a leak is a leak. Most of the time when you have one of these, you know it. But there are other times where they are slow or hidden or you cannot see them readily. It's amazing what you use every day and don't realize may be an issue. We just recommend taking a moment to walk around the house and look at the ceilings and walls for any stains or damage. As well as looking under your sink cabinets once all the items are cleaned out. And don't forget to look behind the fridge raider. That's a big one.
Drainage is typically pretty simple for you to diagnose yourself as well. Turn on the water and does it drain? All sinks, bathtubs and showers are designed to drain as fast as the water can be supplied. So if you turn the water on full blast and it starts backing up at all, you have an issue. The other way to test for this as we do during the inspection is to turn on all the water throughout the house at once, flush your toilets, and see if water starts backing up then as well. Plenty of times if the issue is localized, it's related to soap, scum, hair, buildup, and other products that we like to send down our drains.
Did you know it's actually required to have drain stoppers or other opening restrictions in place? So if you are missing them, they will be called out.
Water Pressure is another pretty simple one for the homeowner to diagnose themselves.
This is where all of the showers and sinks are running at the same time and then you go flush your toilet. If the pressure bugs down a significant amount, there may be an issue. This is a test design to see if multiple people can be getting ready without a lack of service pressure. Nobody wants to have a trickling shower While they're getting ready. Unless the home is older. This is typically related to water filtration systems that need to be serviced, older fixtures with sediment buildup, preventing flow, or even the utility provider at that time.
Water heaters are probably one of the biggest items called out on inspections.
There are many ways these are not installed properly. So here is a quick rundown. you want to give it a look over and make sure there's no corrosion or leaks on the supply lines or the body of the unit itself. If the unit is older than 10 years, you can guarantee it will at least get noted on the report as they typically do not last longer than that around here.
Depending on the age of the installation, it would require a catch pan that is properly piped to the floor, facing the exterior door or piped directly to the exterior. You get it so many times, where a plumber charges them for a pan and doesn't properly pipe it. That's the same thing as not having a catch pan. If it is an electric model, we wanna make sure it has a disconnect installed near the unit. If it is a gas model you wanna make sure that when you turn the thermostat the unit comes on and when you turn it down it turns back off indicating proper function.
There's also this little piece of metal that's called a sediment trap that should be installed on the gas line as close as possible to the water heater. That one gets called out all the time. And the flue pipe needs to have a minimum of three screws per connection. This is required by the manufacturer as well. There are others, but these are the basics to help you out.
Water softener. These can be great for so many people and their personal needs. But for Home Inspectors, they can be a headache. There are so many of these outside companies that install these units post-construction and they drill into vent pipes or unsanitary areas instead of taking the drain line to the proper location. This brings all kinds of rules and creates hazards for the home. If you cannot see the end of the drain line where it discharges with a minimum of a 2-inch gap above where it drains. There is an issue.
Irrigation. This area is actually not covered under home inspections. Many of us do test them, but this will not make or break the deal of a house. We recommend turning the system on for five minutes and walking around the yard. We're looking for ground leaks, missing, watering, heads, and issues with the piping or timer box. If it works and does its job, that's all that matters. If there's something you can visually see, then make it happy and fix.
Support issues are not always as easy for the homeowner to notice. A lot of times when we're in the attics or other locations, we see items that are not properly supported. Also, you may have noticed when you turn on the hose bibs that it shakes the pipe in the wall ( water banging or pipe rattling) we want to make sure things are properly supported so that they don't rattle in the walls when you're turning the water on and off or cause strain on fittings, allowing for leakage over time or just being annoying. Most support issues are very easily repaired.
Cross connections are more recently becoming an issue. While it has always been important to keep yucky water from your clean water. Just recently is it being enforced even at your hose bibbs.
A cross-connection is just like it sounds. This is where you have old or non-potable water that has the potential to mix with your clean drinking water. These are those little golden devices that screw onto your hose bibs and may spray you with water when you turn it off. They also have larger versions that go on your irrigation, pools, and other water sources. In the event that there is a loss of pressure, these items prevent a backflow of the unwanted water inside the home. They are typically under $10 and we just recommend having them in place prior to the inspection.
Thanks, everybody for reading, and Halo Inspections will be glad to check out your Electrical System to make sure there are no surprises.
Thank you so much for your time and look forward to helping you keep your house happy and healthy.