Plumbing Red Flags To Look For When Buying A Home
Buying a new home is a huge thing to take on. It’s expensive and a huge commitment and that’s why it’s important to know what you’re doing. One of the most common things you’ll hear from veteran homeowners is, “I wish I’d known not to buy a house with this problem.” So we’re here to help! We want to inform new homeowners what things they should look out for when purchasing a home that may be a sign of bad plumbing. Bad plumbing isn’t a small thing. If your new home has bad plumbing, it could end up costing you thousands and thousands of dollars down the line. You won’t just have to replace the plumbing itself, but also fix all of the damage the bad plumbing caused.
Water Damage
If you see water damage on the floors or ceiling in a house, it’s not a great sign. Now, it’s possible the damage was caused a long time ago and the plumbing has since been replaced. The problem is, how do you know? Ask the realtor showing you through the house and see if they have any answers for you. The seller would make sure to reassure the person selling their house if a problem had been taken care of already.
Low Outlets In Kitchens And Bathrooms
This isn’t really a plumbing issue, but as it pertains to water, let’s cover it anyway. If the bathroom or kitchen in your potential home has outlets near the floor, leave. The last thing you want is for the tub or sink to overflow or a child to splash water and end up with an electrical fire. It’s incredibly dangerous. Not only is it dangerous should water get in the outlet, but if the wiring is ever loose or broken behind the socket, any moisture from bad plumbing could cause a disaster.
Leaky Faucets And Pipes
When you go into a house for the first time, check faucets to ensure they don’t drip or run. It’s an easy thing to overlook if you’re only in a room for a minute at a time. Open the cabinets under bathroom and kitchen sinks to make sure there’s no water damage or other signs of a leak. Damage from a leaking sink drain can mean replacing the inside of the cabinet and it’s not something you’ll feel like adding to your to-do list.
Running Toilets
If you hear the quiet sound of water running near a toilet, that’s a bad sign. The insides of the tank need to be fixed. It will continue running like this and run up your water bill, costing you extra money for water you’re not actually using.
Bad Drains
If your realtor doesn’t have anything against it, and they shouldn’t, turn on the shower for half a minute to see how well the water drains. Bad drains can be an issue bigger than just some loose hair clogging it up. And if it’s an easy fix, it begs the question, why hasn’t the seller fixed the problem already when their house is up for sale? Chemical drain cleaners damage plumbing and having a professional fix the problem is going to cost you more money.