Your home is one of the biggest investments you will have in your life. Therefore, buying one shouldn’t be rushed nor taken for granted. You want to find a safe and stable property for yourself and for your family; and to be able to do that, a house inspection should be done before closing the deal.
Before proceeding to buy a property, you must thoroughly inspect its interiors first, including the house’s plumbing system. During this visit, it’s ideal to have a professional plumber with you as they will know how to properly check for plumbing issues that you would have missed have you gone alone. If you want a closer hand in inspecting your home, here are some tips on how you and your plumbing contractor should inspect your plumbing system.
1. Ask the Seller’s Help
Reputable real estate agents will help you verify the condition of all aspects of the property you wish to purchase. If they refuse to provide access to the house’s plumbing system, that’s a major red flag that there could be a serious problem.
2. Dress Appropriately
Before beginning the inspection, make sure to bring the right gears—strong-grip gloves, comfortable footwear and a flashlight—and wear something that you won’t mind getting dirty. Checking the plumbing system can get messy, so be prepared.
3. Look for Lead
Older homes in Singapore tend to use lead pipes. While lead is helpful, it’s toxic and therefore should be avoided especially of you have kids. Lead pipes may not be a major deal breaker, but before closing the deal, ask your plumber in Singapore how much it would cost to replace the lead pipes.
4. Test Every Shut Off Valve
As a homeowner, you need to know where the main shut off valve of your home’s water supply is, and make sure that it is in excellent condition. Check that you can easily turn on/off your shut off valve, which is usually located near your home’s water meter. Now, turn the valve off, go around your house, and turn on every faucet. If any faucet has a flow, or even just drips, the entire plumbing system may have to be checked and repaired.
5. Check the Pipes
For most homeowners in Singapore, having good and constant water pressure is important, and the size of the water pipes helps determine this. Larger pipes at the main source should be anywhere between .75 to one inch in size, while the rest of the pipes in the house should be .5 or larger. Anything that’s smaller than .5 will restrict the water flow, and this is something that’s quite costly to replace.
6. Inspect the Water Heater
Have your plumbing services staff inspect the water heater. If it’s old, in poor working condition, or has other operating issues, it could be an expensive repair or replacement that you should take into consideration when bidding on a property. When checking the water heater, look for corroded parts, mineral deposits and other warning signs that the equipment needs to be replaced.
7. Smell the Sewage
Sewage problems are disgusting, stinky and expensive plumbing works. Before signing on the dotted line, find out what kind of sewage system the house has. If there’s a septic tank, find out where it is located, where its line runs, how big it is, and the time when it was last emptied or serviced. Check the area of the tank, as well as its line, paying attention for bad odours, stagnant water and other signs of seepage. Since problems with septic tanks are usually costly, this is something you must insist on getting a deeper discount or having fixed before finalizing the deal.
8. Inspect for Any Leaks
Make sure that the bathroom and kitchen faucets, as well as the shower and the toilet, are in good working condition and do not leak. A leaking toilet tank may not be noticeable, but it can cost you a lot in the long run. If your refrigerator has ice maker, find its water supply line and check for bulges and leaks. If the supply line is plastic, consider replacing it with copper.
9. Test the Washing Machine Pipes
Make sure the water valves for your laundry machine is working. Check the machine’s intake hose and drain hose. They should not be brittle, nor should be dripping from where they are hooked. Check the faucet where you hooked your hose to see that it’s not rusted shut.
10. Determine Whether It Has Hard Water
Hard water causes stain and scale build-up on fixtures ad can make washing dishes and cleaning windows difficult. What’s worse, if this water goes untreated, scale can build-up inside the plumbing system. The best way to determine whether or not a property has hard water is to check the exteriors of the plumbing lines for signs of build-up. If you find any, try to negotiate a water softening supply into the deal. Ask your 24 hours plumber about this to help wiggle this add-on to your package.
These are just a few of the things that will help inspect a house’s plumbing works. Monitoring the water ways and pressure is an important part of inspecting a property. In order to get the most comprehensive home inspection and ensure smart investment, let a reliable plumber do the inspection for you. Ask your contractor if property inspection is included in their plumbing services. If so, tag them along during site visitations for professional advices.
