As a homeowner, scheduling regular inspections for your home’s systems is one of the best ways to prevent costly repairs and unpleasant surprises. One system that should never be overlooked is your plumbing.
A routine plumbing inspection can help identify issues early, before they turn into major problems. Understanding why you should schedule these inspections and how often can make all the difference in maintaining a safe and efficient home.
What Does a Professional Plumbing Inspection Include?
A professional plumbing inspection is a thorough check of all the different components of your entire household’s plumbing system. This includes everything from your main shutoff valve to your plumbing fixtures and water heater.
One of our licensed plumbing professionals will inspect all the components to ensure that they’re operating as efficiently as possible. If they find issues, they will clearly explain the problem and offer advice on how to fix it.
Prevent Major Wintertime Damage
Getting a plumbing inspection in the late summer is a great way to catch issues with your system before the winter weather sets in. There’s no doubt that the winter weather can worsen minor issues like cracks and leaks in your piping.
By inspecting them now before the freezing temperatures arrive, you can repair them to significantly minimize your risk of experiencing a flood during the colder winter season.
Stress Test After Increased Summer Demand
As your family likely spends more time at home during the summer and you have more guests over, it can put a strain on your plumbing system. This can lead to a higher risk of developing clogs and other issues due to excessive food waste and overuse of your bathrooms.
Even the higher water usage from doing more laundry, taking more showers, and watering your garden and lawn can put a significant strain on your entire plumbing system. A late summer inspection is a great way to check your entire system to ensure that it’s still working as it should.
More Flexible Appointment Scheduling
Getting a plumbing inspection before the fall season will ensure that you can get on the schedule at a time that’s most convenient for you. It’s important to realize that fall is a very popular time of the year for homeowners to schedule plumbing inspections and other tasks like upgrades before winter weather settles in.
Test Outdoor Fixtures
One other reason that late summer is the perfect time for a plumbing inspection is that milder weather allows our professionals to test your outdoor plumbing fixtures. Your irrigation system, hose bibs, outdoor drains, and spigots may need repairs so they are ready for use in spring. Our plumbers can also give you tips on how to shut down your outdoor plumbing for the winter.
Prevent Holiday Plumbing Disasters
During the holiday season, it’s highly likely that you’ll have a lot of family at your property. This influx on your plumbing system can exacerbate existing problems and lead to unfortunate issues.
An inspection before the winter season can allow us to catch these issues and repair them. This means your plumbing system will be in tip-top condition going into the winter season, significantly reducing your risk of experiencing a plumbing problem during holiday get-togethers.
How Often to Get Plumbing Inspections
While it’s helpful to know that getting a plumbing inspection is best done in the late summer, understanding the frequency of these inspections is also key. In general, we recommend a plumbing inspection every three to five years for newer homes.
If your existing home is over 25 years old, consider inspections every one to two years. These inspections can give you advanced notice of potential issues so you can plan for repairs or replacements.
The Many Benefits of a Plumbing Inspection
When you first learn about plumbing inspections, it’s pretty common to wonder if they’re actually a requirement or just a suggestion to keep your home in great working condition. The reality is that plumbing inspections are an absolute must for all homeowners to maintain the integrity of their home’s plumbing system.
Avoid Major Plumbing Disasters
Probably one of the most important reasons to get a plumbing inspection is to avoid dealing with any major plumbing issues. Plumbing inspections are great for detecting small problems so that we can repair them to avoid more serious issues.
Our inspections can reveal issues such as hidden water leaks, leaky toilets, and partially clogged sewer lines. They can also help you avoid expensive cleanup costs due to faulty plumbing springing a leak.
Extend the Longevity of Your System’s Components
Any savvy homeowner wants to do everything possible to extend the longevity of their plumbing system so they get more bang for their buck. A great way to extend the longevity of your system’s components is to get a routine plumbing inspection.
Systems that receive routine inspections will notably last years longer than those that don’t. This is because our plumbers can address issues before they turn into major hassles.
Learn About Your Options
A routine plumbing inspection does more than catch current issues. It also gives you valuable insight into how much longer your plumbing fixtures are likely to last.
During the visit, our plumbers will assess the condition of sinks, toilets, and other fixtures and let you know if any are nearing the end of their service life. This allows you to plan for replacements in advance, avoiding surprise breakdowns. If an upgrade is needed, we can recommend modern options that reduce water waste.
Peace of Mind
One benefit of a plumbing inspection that simply can’t be overlooked is the peace of mind it can bring you. Just knowing that one of our licensed plumbers thoroughly inspected your home and gave it the okay for another year goes a long way in easing your worries about a possible breakdown.
Ensure Your Plumbing is Up to Code
As our plumbers are doing an inspection of your home’s plumbing system, they will let you know if any of your plumbing components do not meet current code standards. It’s very helpful to know this information so that you can get the appropriate upgrades to keep your home compliant with local building codes. This is especially important if you plan on selling your home anytime in the near future.
Make Insurance Claims a Breeze
If a plumbing emergency leads to significant damage in your home, you’ll likely turn to your homeowner’s insurance to help cover the repair and cleanup costs. While coverage depends on your specific policy, having documentation of routine plumbing inspections can strengthen your claim.
Insurance providers are more likely to approve claims when there’s evidence that you’ve maintained your plumbing system properly. Inspection records demonstrate that you took reasonable steps to prevent issues, making it harder for the insurer to deny the claim based on negligence or lack of maintenance.
Trustworthy Plumbing Inspection Service
Rudd Plumbing Heating and Air offers trustworthy plumbing inspection services for the Charleston, SC area. We can also help with all your plumbing repair, new installation, and replacement needs.
Contact our team today to schedule a service consultation with one of our knowledgeable plumbers.
