How Often Should Plumbing be Inspected
How often should plumbing be inspected? If you’re about to perform your own basic plumbing maintenance — or even hire a specialist to perform a routine plumbing inspection — it’s imperative that you have a plumbing maintenance checklist at hand before you get started. Usually, and if you don’t have solid plumbing maintenance plans in mind, solving plumbing problems in old houses, new buildings and so on won’t be any effective. You need to know what to look for and where to look for it. Otherwise, you might just damage your house and even yourself.
How Often Should Plumbing be Inspected — What Requires More Frequent Checks
Most veteran plumbers agree that every plumbing system should be inspected at least once every 2 years. However, some instances call for frequent plumbing inspections, which are the following:
Old houses Built Before the 1960’s
These homes may have steel pipes in their plumbing systems, which are rusty and deteriorated nowadays. Because of this, most plumbing problems in old houses tend to involve leaks, bursts and lead in the water supply.
Mature Trees in the Yard
Sometimes old trees have an extensive, yet undetected root system underground that can push right through underground plumbing pipes. Should a root cause a small leak, you wouldn’t notice it for many years!
Moved Into a New Home
New houses tend to be left unchecked by their previous owners. If you just recently moved to a new home, it’s a good idea to have a thorough plumbing inspection by someone other than a home inspector.
Who Should Perform the Basic Plumbing Maintenance: You or a Professional?
You can attempt an inspection yourself, but for safety issues, don’t try to perform the fixes yourself. Sometimes the problems are deeper than what you think, so it’s better to get help from a professional plumber for the hard-to-fix places. When it’s time to get things going, you can always rely on a certified plumber.
Last Considerations
What is Involved in a Plumbing Inspection?
A quality home plumbing inspection checks anywhere water runs through your house, from the kitchen to the bathroom. No more, no less.
How do I Know if my Plumbing is Bad?
You’ll know there’s an issue with your plumbing system if there are odd sounds coming from the faucets, unexplained low water pressure, unpleasant smells coming from the drains, sluggish drains, or water stains/water-damaged walls. If you spot any of these signs, call a plumber immediately.
How Long does Plumbing Last?
The most common ones, such as brass pipes, can last between 40 to 70 or more years, while copper pipes can last 50 years. The least durable plumbing systems are those of galvanized steel pipes (they last between 20 and 50 years) and the most durable one is that one made from cast iron drain lines (75 to 100 years), while PVC drain lines will last indefinitely.
To Summarize
So, how often should plumbing be inspected? A basic, or in-depth professional plumbing inspection, can be done often, but the most you can let it go is 2 years. Once you perform the checkup, prepare a plumbing maintenance checklist and design plumbing maintenance plans in order to begin working with plumbing problems in old houses, new houses and homes at-risk. Doing all of these in a proper order will guarantee you a healthy plumbing system in the long-term.
