Tips To Ensure Your Home's Exterior And Underground Plumbing Are In Good Condition
Buying a home is a decision you should not take lightly, checking and inspecting the home for various problems and issues before you make a final decision and get the financing. A whole-home inspection checks many visible areas within your home, but does not check underground plumbing lines and other systems that are out of sight. Here are some specific inspections to ensure a home's underground septic, plumbing, and swimming pool lines are in good condition before you buy the home.
Septic System
When you are considering buying a home with a septic system, realize it is a fully below ground-built system that provides sewer drainage from your home. Instead of relying upon the city sewer, you have your own sewer treatment system within the soil of your yard. A healthy septic system needs to be able to collect and separate waste from your home so the water drains into the leach fields, the sludge sinks to the tank's bottom, and the scum floats on the top of the tank's water level.
It is important to hire a septic system inspection company before making the decision to buy a home so they can check for any damage to the system, such as cracks in the tank or a failing drainage system. A septic system inspector, like those represented at http://sullivanseptic.net, will check the tank capacity, drain lines, and the access hatch into the tank to make sure it is accessible from the surface of your yard without having to excavate any soil.
Sewer Main
If the home is set up on city sewer, it is important to have the sewer main inspected. This pipe runs from the home's sewer to the city's main sewer line. This line is the responsibility of you as the homeowner to maintain, repair, or replace as needed, and it can cost several thousand dollars to excavate the line for replacement.
An inspection of your home's main sewer line will reveal any clogs, collapsed areas, or root intrusion from nearby trees into the line so you can address these issues to the seller and have them reflected in the home's price. A plumbing professional can complete a video inspection of the line's interior to give you a clear indication of its condition.
Swimming Pool
A swimming pool in a home should have its internal parts checked to make sure its filtration, pump, and other plumbing lines are working. A professional pool inspector will check the drain to make sure it is up to code, look for any leaks in the lines, and make sure the pump is working efficiently. It is also recommended they inspect the heater for full function and make sure no condensation is found in the pool's lights.