Older Etobicoke homes have a lot of character that you can’t find in new builds, making them very attractive for many home buyers. Age should not be a deterring factor when looking to purchase a home. No home will be perfect, and each home could experience issues in the years you own it. One of the biggest fears of Etobicoke homeowners is plumbing problems and the cost to fix them. Here are a few common plumbing issues you may experience if you have an older home.
Outdated piping
If your home is more than 25 or 30 years old or hasn’t had a major renovation in that time, it is likely that the piping for your home will not be up to today’s code. It may be defective or even dangerous and toxic – like lead pipes are known to be. As you renovate your home, you will likely need to update the pipes to today’s standards.
Installation issues
Improper repairs and installations can cause major issues to your plumbing in the long run, especially if they are completed by an amateur who doesn’t exactly know what they are doing. If the wrong equipment is used or the right equipment is installed incorrectly, it can cause big problems with your plumbing system for years to come.
Root intrusion
As your home gets older, there are a number of problems that can arise. With newly built homes, there will often be young trees planted in the yards. These trees will eventually grow and develop a complete root system.
Depending on the size of these trees, the root systems may intrude into the sewer lines coming into your home. This can cause major issues with blocking and sewer back up into the basement of your Etobicoke home.
Root intrusion into your pipes can easily diagnosed with a pipe camera inspection.
Bellied lines
Your home will settle in the first few years after its construction, and during that time, the sewer lines may start to slope, which can result in water flow restrictions or even sewer back-ups and leaks into your home.
Bellied lines can also result in slab leaks, which is when water seeps into the foundation of your home and results in major property damage.
Signs of bellied drains can include slow draining, unpleasant smells coming from drains and frequent backups of the drains in your home.
A professional plumber can identify the section of piping where the bellying is likely happening, so they can fix the section without replacing all of the piping.
Old fixtures
Plumbing fixtures will advance as professionals learn more about the longevity of different materials and how they will work in your home. Old plumbing fixtures and connections will pose a risk of falling apart, which can cause leaking and even flooding in your home.
These old fixtures can cause issues for your Etobicoke home and cause major damage to the contents of your home. If you can replace these fixtures as you come across them, your risk of leaks and floods in your Etobicoke home is much less.
Contact D. Jason Plumbing today
If you are experiencing plumbing issues in your older Etobicoke home, we are here to help. Call us today for a consultation with a plumber. Furthermore, if you are buying a home in Etobicoke, contact us for a full plumbing inspection to help you negotiate the purchase cost of the home.