Buying a house is fraught with risk, and sometimes there are hidden issues that might become apparent right after you have made the purchase. Regardless of the age or size of the property you are thinking of purchasing, you should have the building inspected by several specialists, and with that in mind, here are some plumbing aspects that you should have looked at prior to putting in an offer.
Read more after the jump:
1. Drain Inspection
You literally have no idea of the state of the drains, and neither does the seller, and with Sewer Surgeon Croydon based plumbers who can give you a detailed report of the drain condition, you can be sure that the drains are in good order. This type of company uses CCTV to examine the drain interior, which is the only way to really know the condition of the sewer pipes. In the event there needs to be some repairs carried out, you can add this to your list of issues when you negotiate the price with the seller.
2. Drain Cleaning
While the technician is inspecting the drains, you could ask him to power clean the system while he’s there, which is something the seller would be happy to pay for. It is not unreasonable to expect the sewer pipes to be in good order, and the only way to determine that is with a drain inspection. It is advisable to have the drains cleaned out with high pressure water, which will also allow the technician to see much more from the video camera, and any defect would become apparent.
3. Damaged Drains
There are a few reasons why the sewer pipes might be compromised, with invasive tree roots and ground subsidence both major causes, and if a section of the drain is damaged, the drain cleaning company could insert an inner sleeve, which avoids having to dig up and replace the damaged section, and what’s more, the provider would guarantee the replaced section for 50 years. Sewer pipe relining is by far the most cost-effective way to repair damaged pipes, and if the inspection reveals this, you can ask the seller to pay for the repairs. There is also an article online about video inspection of sewer pipes, which makes for an interesting read.
4. The Water System
The maze of pipes that run through the building should be checked for corrosion, and any qualified plumber could give the plumbing the once over. Part of a plumber’s work involves building inspection, and should there be any issues, you can request that the seller carry out repairs.
After a full inspection of the plumbing system and the drains examined and cleaned, you can move ahead with the purchase, safe in the knowledge that there are no nasty surprises lurking under the ground. Obviously, there are other aspects of the property that need to be inspected, such as checking for damp and that the building is structurally sound, and with a full plumbing inspection, you will be fully informed about the system that runs under the property.
