Owning a home is a big responsibility. For most people, it represents the most significant investment they’ll make and their most important asset. It logically follows that homeowners would want to do whatever it takes to protect their home’s value. One of the most important ways to do that is to have regular plumbing inspections. Your home’s plumbing is one of its most critical pieces of infrastructure. And if it fails, it can do grievous damage to your home. Here’s what a plumbing inspection entails and how it protects your home’s value.
What’s Included in a Plumbing Inspection?
Although different plumbers follow different inspection routines, most include several essential tasks. They include the following.
Water Pressure Measurement
Your home’s water pressure must remain within a specific range to avoid damage to your plumbing. That’s why plumbing inspections include water pressure checks. In most homes, water pressure should always be between 40 and 80 pounds per square inch (psi), with 60 psi being ideal. Your plumber will measure your water pressure to see if it falls within that range.
High water pressure can damage your home’s plumbing in various ways. It can lead to burst pipes, leaks, and damaged appliances and fixtures. Low water pressure can indicate the presence of leaks somewhere in your home.
Plumbing Fixture Inspection
Your home’s plumbing fixtures are the parts that make your plumbing work. It’s essential that they all function as expected and don’t suffer physical or mechanical breakdowns. To ensure that, your plumber will inspect each fixture’s functionality and look for signs of unusual wear. The inspection will also include looking for water supply issues and slow drains.
Kitchen Plumbing Inspections
The average home’s kitchen plumbing absorbs plenty of punishment and wear and tear. That makes it a point of focus during a plumbing inspection. Your plumber will check out your kitchen sink to see if it works. That includes filling your sink with its stopper in the drain. That will let them know if your sink remains watertight. Then, they’ll remove the stopper to check your sink’s drainage speed. If you have a garbage disposal, they’ll activate it and check for leaks.
Bathroom Plumbing Inspections
Your plumber will also pay extra attention to your home’s bathrooms. That includes checking the condition and operation of your toilets. In doing so, they’ll also ensure your toilets aren’t loose or leaking. They will also inspect your tubs and showers for watertightness, drainage, and functionality.
Sewer Line Inspection
Your home’s main sewer line will also undergo inspection as part of your overall plumbing check. Your plumber may use remote video equipment to assess the condition of your sewer line. They’ll look for any obstructions or cracks, including tree root incursions. A damaged sewer line can cause sewage backups in your home, which are unsanitary and challenging to recover from.
Water Heater Inspection
Finally, your plumber will inspect your home’s water heater. They’ll look for signs of unusual wear that might indicate a need for a replacement. They’ll also check your hot water temperature to ensure it matches your water heater setting.
How Often Do You Need Plumbing Inspections?
If your home isn’t very old, having its plumbing inspected every two years should suffice. However, any home over 30 years old should have plumbing inspections yearly. At that age, parts of your home’s plumbing will begin approaching replacement age. While you may still get many more years out of your pipes and fixtures, it’s best to be aware of any potential problems.
The Benefits of Regular Plumbing Inspections
Regular plumbing inspections’ most obvious benefit is that they can help avoid catastrophic plumbing failures. A burst pipe or significant leak can do thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to your home. The costs may be even higher if those things happen at night or on a holiday or weekend. By having your plumbing regularly inspected, you may learn of a small problem before it worsens. Then, you can take corrective action at minimal cost.
Another benefit of regular plumbing inspections is that they increase your plumbing’s lifespan. Finding and fixing plumbing problems promptly minimizes unnecessary wear and tear. Depending on the materials used in your plumbing, it may last from 50 to 80 years with proper care. Allowing problems with your plumbing to fester can cut that lifespan significantly. That can lead to a need for repiping or other major plumbing overhauls, which are costly.
Inspections also help you keep your home’s plumbing as efficient as possible. That drives down your water bills, saving you money.
Regular Plumbing Inspections and Resale Value
The benefits of regular plumbing inspections help your home retain its resale value. Most of that occurs through the prevention of water damage. For example, a major leak can do structural damage to your home that would show up on a presale inspection. That can lead potential buyers to pass on your home or request a substantial discount to cover repair costs.
Water leaks from plumbing problems can also do other kinds of damage to your home, lowering its value. That may include issues like warped floors and ceilings. Persistently high moisture in your home, such as the kind driven by hidden plumbing problems, may cause that. During a potential home sale, a competent inspector would call out warping as a sign of moisture problems. It also may cause a potential buyer to assume there are other issues with your home that they’re unaware of. In either case, you may then struggle to sell your home, let alone for the price you expected.
Finally, one of the worst things that may result from undiscovered plumbing issues is a mold problem. Plumbing damage is one of the most common causes of mold problems. Worst of all, mold may grow inside walls and reach dangerous levels long before you recognize its presence. It is almost impossible to sell a home with a mold problem. Depending on the mold’s location, mold remediation can cost $25 per square foot or more.
Mold problems also come with legal obligations for homeowners. Here in Fort Worth, TX, you must disclose any mold remediation performed within five years of a sale. At a minimum, that will reduce the value of your home significantly. Or, you may have little alternative but to wait out the five-year disclosure period before selling your home.
Your Affordable Plumbing Inspection Specialists
If your Fort Worth home needs its plumbing inspected, Cattlemans Plumbing can help. We’re a locally owned plumbing business dedicated to serving our neighbors. We offer complete residential and commercial plumbing services, including drain cleaning, plumbing remodeling, and more. Our team of plumbers has decades of collective experience and the latest training. We’re also Better Business Bureau accredited and maintain an A+ rating. Check out our testimonials to see what our customers think of our work.
When you’re ready to have your Fort Worth home’s plumbing inspected, call our team at Cattlemans Plumbing!
