When moving into a new home, you can’t always know the condition that the electrical wiring and plumbing system is in.
Why Make Plumbing Checks?
Plumbing checks are necessary for new homes as the previous owner may not have had their plumbing systems checked in years. This is risky as it’s common for plumbing systems that have not been well maintained to become damaged easily, causing things such as leaks which can cause severe damage to your home.
In order to prevent things such as water damage, mould and mildew it’s important to have regular boiler checks. So if you’ve just moved into a new property and aren’t sure about what to look out for within your plumbing systems, then keep reading! As we’ve devised a list of things for you to look out for, and if any of these problems occur we recommend contacting a qualified plumber as soon as possible.
Leaky Taps And Toilets
Not only is this problem wasting your money, but it can be extremely annoying – especially when trying to sleep at night. A simple dripping tap, if left all day can cause extortionate extra costs on your water bills, so it’s important to get this checked before it worsens or costs you a lot more than it would to repair.
This is the same circumstances as a running toilet; an ongoing running toilet occurs when the float is set too high. If set too high, when your toilet is flushed water spills into the overflow tube which then won’t allow the fill valve to shut off – meaning that the toilet then keeps running.
Toilets alone are the main culprits of water usage within your home, so by leaving it continually running you are going to be spending ridiculous amounts on your water bills – although its a common problem so be sure to check this in your new property!
Find Out if Your Home Has Lead Pipes
Lead pipes were used widely in old plumbing, it was cost-effective and seemed to be extremely sturdy and easy to use. However, as time has progressed, we have discovered how toxic lead is to human bodies at high exposure. If your drinking water is travelling through lead piping, then it’s possible that the lead is contaminating your clean water.
Lead in a high enough quantity has the ability to cause death, so if you think that your home was built before the 1970’s, then we would recommend contacting a plumber straight away.
Check All Your Pipes Are Insulated
During the winter months, it’s easy enough for your pipes to freeze up. You should check that your pipes have been lagged and are protected from harsh weather such as rain, snow and ice. As well as this you should ensure that your hot water tank is insulated.
In the event of your plumbing pipes freezing up you should try and defrost them. Most people call out plumbers in the case of this simply because they don’t know what to do. Using a hairdryer, you can hold it on your pipes from a reasonable distance, and it will begin to defrost the pipes. Although it may take some time, it stops you paying fees for a plumber to do the same thing.
Check For Water Damage, Damp And More
Damp is a severe issue within a home; it’s unlikely that you’re going to move into a house after being made aware of it having mould. But sometimes people are really good at hiding their home imperfections, so we recommend taking a good look around the house before making an offer or moving in.
Damp is normally hidden in home extensions; this is in the case of where the home extension has been fitted improperly by cowboy builders. So we recommend using qualified builders for any property extension work to reduce the possibility of a botch job.
Damp, mould and mildew can cause serious health issues, especially for those with respiratory issues such as asthma. So we suggest checking hidden places such as behind wall cavities and in lofts and garages to ensure that there is no damp or mould in your home. As well as this look out for problems caused by leaky roofs and water damage in the property, this can also cause issues and can make it hard for you to sell on your property in the future.
Water damage can also be caused by leaky pipes, so check your home’s pipes to avoid the risk of them leaking into your home.
Locate Your Internal Stop Tap
It’s important to know the location of your internal stop tap; it’s the only thing that can completely stop the flow of water into your home. This important in case there is a problem with your homes plumbing work, and you have to turn the water off, in certain instances, this could be the only thing that can stop water damage in your home during a leak or flooding.
So it acts an emergency stop button for your water system, it’s important that you also make your family aware of its location in case there’s a situation that may require the need for them to turn the water off. Whether your children are home alone or your neighbours are watching your home for the weekend, it’s important that you point out its location just as a precaution.
Your plumber may use the internal stop tap during repairs or boiler replacements as they will need to stop the flowing water in your home.
Check Your Home’s Plumbing!
So whether you’re putting your own home up for sale, or you’re moving to a new property it’s important that you check all of these things to ensure that your homes plumbing is in safe working condition.