For many home buyers, the plumbing in the house they are getting ready to purchase is not necessarily the most important thing on their mind with respect to that house. However, it should be, as a bad plumbing design may cost you a lot of money to remedy. This article will give you some tips on how to recognize plumbing issues before purchasing a house so you can avoid the additional expense. If you are not able to do so yourself, then it would be advisable that you contact a professional Brisbane plumber to do it for you.
The first thing you should do is to check your toilets. This will include looking for leaks or seeing if there is water running in the toilet. In addition, you should flush every toilet in the house to see how easily the water runs out and if the tanks are being filled correctly. If you hear a noise in the adjoining sink after flushing a toilet, there may be an issue with venting that needs to be checked out.
It may seem very strange for this to be a suggestion. However, it is also important that you do a smell test on your sinks in order to determine what is happening down your drains. When your drains are blocked, you may smell some fetid odor and odors like these often times mean that there is an issue with your sewage or septic systems.
It is also very necessary for you to turn on all your taps so you can see as to whether or not there is a good flow, and if the water has a fresh smell. While you are doing this, you will also need to look to see how fast the water drains away, as you listen for ay usual and/or gurgling sounds in the sink. If the drainage is slow in one pipe, this may simply mean that there is an issue with clogging in that pipe. However, if there is an issue with drainage and noise in all you sinks then this is indicative of issues with your sewer and septic systems. Additionally, if you are experiencing poor drainage in the house’s lowest sink, then your problem may also be with your septic and sewer systems.
You will also want to look under your sinks. This is necessary as if you have drain setups that are not conventional, you may hear noises and have issues after purchasing the house. A look under the sinks may also disclose the fact that there is an issue with leakage, and/or that previous water damage was not dealt with properly and may cause a big problem in the near future.
It is also crucial that you check the pressure of the water. You do this by running each tap and then watching the pressure of the water as it comes from the tap. If there is a change in the pressure then this may be indicative of an issue with the water pressure tank.
Another great tip when buying a house is for you to ask about the model of the water heater, as well as to give it a once or twice over. What you will be checking for are leaks or other damages, as well as for a floor drain. You will also need to turn on the hot water faucet as well as the shower, in order to see how fast the hot water gets to the tap, and to gauge the temperature of the water as well.
You should also enquire about the house’s septic system; specifically if the house is not connected to a sewer. Important questions to ask of Brisbane plumbers would be how many times a year it will need to get serviced, and of the seller, when was the last time it was serviced.