Did you know about 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons of water per day?
Some of these homes have faucets that drip…drip…drip all day (and night!) long. Others have toilet flappers with so much wear and tear on them that they aren’t able to do their jobs anymore.
If you’re preparing to buy a new home soon, make sure you don’t purchase one that has a bunch of plumbing leaks in it. Look out for signs of other major plumbing problems in a home that you’re getting ready to buy, too.
There are plumbing tips that you can use to avoid buying a home with plumbing issues in it. Take a look at five of the plumbing features you should check out before buying a new home below.
- Faucets
The average American home has a variety of faucets scattered throughout it.
There are obviously faucets in kitchens and bathrooms. But there are also sometimes faucets in laundry rooms, utility rooms, basements, bar areas, and more.
When you’re walking through a home that you’re preparing to buy, you should take a look at the faucets to make sure none of them are leaking. You should also turn each faucet on and allow it to run for at least a few seconds.
By doing this, you can see how a home’s water pressure is. You can also see if a faucet is going to leak on you once it’s turned on and running.
You can even see how quickly hot water is sent to a faucet by leaving it on for 15 seconds or so. This should give a water heater more than enough time to send hot water out to the faucet that you’ve turned on.
If you suspect that a faucet might be leaking or if you sense a lack of water pressure in a home, you may want to hire experienced plumbers to come and take a look at the plumbing system in the house. They can tell you whether or not you have anything to worry about.
- Drains
Outside of inspecting the faucets situated throughout a home, you should also take a good, long look at the drains that are in it. These drains are designed to take the water that comes from your faucets and carry it away to the local sewer system.
There are, however, a number of issues that can plague the drains in homes. Most notably, drains can get backed up over time when things like hair, oil, grease, and more begin to build up in drain pipes.
While you’re testing out the faucets in a home, you should also check out the drains to make sure they’re doing their jobs. If you see water backing up in a sink after running a faucet for just 30 seconds or so, it could be a clear-cut sign of an issue with a drain.
More often than not, you’ll be able to fix the issue with a plunger, a plumbing snake, or some baking soda, salt, and vinegar. But a drain that backs up could also be an indication of a much larger problem.
There could be a clog somewhere in a sewer line, or a home could even have a sewer line that’s in a state of disrepair. You’ll want to steer clear of buying a home with a sewer line problem or, at the very least, you’ll want to have the price of the home reduced to account for any sewer line repairs you’ll need to make.
- Toilets
The drains in a home aren’t the only things that can get backed up. Toilets can also back up if there are stubborn clogs located somewhere in the pipes that are used to flush away waste.
It’s why you should flush every single toilet in a home that you’re thinking about buying. When you do, make sure that it flushes with ease. Make sure that it doesn’t continue running long after you flush it, too, since that could be a sign of a leaky toilet.
Most toilet problems are simple enough to fix. But you could find yourself in a situation where you’re replacing toilets and the pipes that are connected to them if you’re not careful about checking on them before buying a home.
- Water Heater
How old is the water heater in the home that you’re preparing to buy?
If it’s more than a decade old at this point, you’re going to need to be ready to replace it soon after moving into the house. Most water heaters are only built to last for somewhere between 8 and 12 years.
An old water heater shouldn’t be a dealbreaker by any means when you’re in the process of buying a home. But it will be something you’ll need to plan to replace later on.
- Water Meter
Every home has a water meter in it that’s designed to keep track of how much water a home uses every month.
Prior to purchasing a home, you should find the water meter in it and take a look at it when there isn’t any water being used in a home. If the water meter shows that water is being used despite all the plumbing fixtures throughout a house being turned off, it could mean there is a hidden leak somewhere in it. You’ll want to investigate the source of this leak to find out what’s causing it.
Of all the plumbing tips listed here, this one is the simplest to put into practice. All it requires you to do is look at the water meter in a home.
But it could prove to be the most important step you take when it comes to a new home’s plumbing. It’ll ensure you don’t buy a home that has a hidden leak in it.
Put These Plumbing Tips to Good Use When Buying a New Home
You might love everything about the new house that you’re thinking about buying, but if there are major issues with its plumbing system, you should think twice about buying it.
Use the plumbing tips found here to identify any potential problems with the plumbing system in a home. They’ll help you diagnose plumbing issues and decide whether or not you want to move forward with purchasing a new house.
Browse through our blog for more tips on things you should do when buying a new home.
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