Home Buyers Plumbing Checklist
As exciting as it is buying a new home, it’s important to ensure you don’t get caught up in the moment and neglect looking into some very important aspects of the home. A very important component of the home is the plumbing and ensuring it is functioning efficiently by doing a home buyers plumbing checklist.
The Home Buyers Plumbing Checklist:
1. How Old is the Plumbing System
If you know the plumbing is old, there is no need to continue inspecting the system because you can simply ask for it to be renovated from the get-go, before you move in.
2. Last Inspection
Ask when the plumbing was last inspected, as this could save you time and worrying, as the remaining things in this list will have most likely being inspected. However, for your own piece of mind, I would still recommend checking the remaining items on the list.
3. Last Servicing Date
It’s best to check when the system was last serviced or repaired. You don’t want to be drinking brown water, infused with lead! Ensure you get a rough date on the last time there has been maintenance and changes to the system.
4. Flush The Toilets
A simple, but important aspect of the plumbing which should be checked is the toilet. There would be nothing worse than moving into your brand new home and on the first night, you have a blocked toilet! Ensure the toilet empties & refills correctly. And the positive of this check point; you don’t need an expert to test this one for you!
5. Drainage System
Other than a blocked toilet, the next worst thing is a clogged-up sink! Check to see if there is anything that could be contributing to the clogging up of your water drainage system. This one would be best undertaken by a professional plumber, as they know exactly what to look out for.
6. Turn on Showers
I can’t stand a shower with poor water pressure; there is nothing worse! Test out your bath tap & shower to ensure the pressure is up to standard.
7. Check the Pressure
Similar to testing the shower, you want to know about the pressure at which water comes out from your taps. Simply flick on some of the taps in your home to get an idea of the water pressure
8. The Water Heater
So you’re aware of the pressure your shower will be operating at. Now is time to check that the shower has good pressure AND will be Hot. Make sure it is efficient enough to cope with the amount of hot water you will be using. For example if you are going to move into a house whose previous residents were a family of 3 and you are moving in with a family of 6; The water system may not be able to cope with this high demand (especially in winter).
It’s important to also check whether the water unit is located inside or outside the house. Outside is best, as it means if the unit bursts, no damage will be done to the home. However if it is inside the home, it’s important to ensure that there is effective protocols and systems in place that help prevent damage occurring if a burst does happen. Also check the pipes connecting to the water system to ensure they are in good shape (not too old or corroded)
9. Check the Pipes
Ensure the pipes are in a safe location where it is extremely hard to damage them. Make sure there are no leaky or corroded pipes that would require regular attention.
10. Check the Lead content in the water
Lead can be extremely harmful, especially for children. Although many people believe that because lead pipes where never widely used in Australia, that this isn’t a concern. Lead based products such as lead-based solder on brass fittings & copper pipes were common up until the late 1980’s. It is most definitely worth checking.
Ensure you feel confident moving into your home, with these 10 important things to look out for!
Source: https://snip.ly/bumtr
