8 Plumbing Things to Check When Buying a Home | A Plumber’s Checklist for Home Buying

[@apatterson8128]

LOL, "We have two of these." Lol. Thanks for the tips Jim.

[@N8904V]

The grumpy plumber sounded like it was horrible if you didn't drain your hot water heater. The previous video he said never drain your hot water heater.

[@ACoustaDC]

I just amazed at how plumbing changes over the years and how different it is in other countries.

[@macman9689]

in 2014 replaced a water heater installed in 1988, it just split along the seams. my mom heard a loud pop coming from the laundryroom and i looked water everywhere😀

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Mac Man, great life on that water heater! Lots of TLC from mom I imagine.

[@jeffreyrafferty4888]

Good stuff,

[@dirtyhairy8884]

Agree 100%! Thank you for the tips.

[@baskywater779]

Your dad seems, hard but fair! I like the man. You seem a little soft 🤣

[@semajd5995]

Lol lol soft

[@jackylyns6128]

Hello Grumpy Plumber...I need to replace my moms expansion tank,and it corroded and rusting and now leaking from the top. Do I need to shut off the main water line outside? Or just the cold line to the water heater? And do bleed out pressure on both the expansion tank and water heater? Do I shut off the tank to the heater and set to pilot or just off? I have pictures how can I do this? I'm afraid the tank is so corroded it's about to fall off, and explode in my sleep! HELP HELP HELP!😬😔😊

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Jackylyn S, turn off the water going to the heater, open a faucet to relieve the pressure, when the water slows down to nothing then unscrew the tank. It’s going to be very heavy as it’s full of water and it will not explode. Install the new tank and turn the water back on. You don’t have to turn the gas off to the water heater or turn the temperature down.

[@alexmagallanes5323]

Hey there! Any chance you can ask you dad how/if it’s possible to clean out the water lines? I live in California and I know the water is hard. I’m concerned of the build up in my water lines. Is there a way to clean them? Or does it have to be replaced? Copper lines. I’ve seen some DIY vids of people pouring 3-5 gals of pure vinegar in their water heaters and running the hot water till U smell it. Letting it sit for hours then flushing out ur system cleans the pipes. I’ve also seen some plumber videos of this citric acid cleaning system with an air pump. Does he have any experience with any of this? Pipe cleaning?

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Alex, I live in California too and I know the water is hard. You don’t get the buildup in copper lines like you get in galvanized lines. I have never ever heard of anyone doing it. I have never done it nor do I feel there is a need to do it. I have cleaned faucet lines and replaced parts to get better water pressure.

[@alexmagallanes5323]

@@TheGrumpyPlumber whew. That takes a huge load off my mind. I was testing my water lines, the pressure is amazing throughout, tested at 55psi from city line. However I did notice that one half of the house has very very low pressure. Even the water hose spigot was very low. So I need to figure out what’s going on there. Seems like there is a split feeding the water heater and the good part of the house; and another feeding the kitchen and backyard hose.

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Alex, make sure there are no valves that are half closed. Try to isolate each fixture and check each one, hot and cold by hooking the supply line to the shut off valve. Run the water into a bucket to see if you have good water flow. If nothing changes with that, then see if you can increase the water line to that end of the house. Just giving you suggestions to try. Maybe you can figure it out. Good luck.

[@chuckm.9744]

It might be difficult, if not impossible, to figure out in the context of buying a house, but a dealbreaker would be the use of Orangeburg pipe as the sewer line.

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Chuck M,I agree with you! I had forgotten all about Orangeburg pipe. It’s terrible pipe to work with. Having terrible flashbacks over it!

[@LovelyDarling1928]

What about lead piping?

[@TheGrumpyPlumber]

Anna Dovey, you definitely do not want lead piping. They used a lot of it for water mains to homes. Some drain lines are lead. That should not be a concern. If you do buy a home with lead piping, have the owners remove it and repipe it. Don’t let them reduce the cost of the house.

[@Hever73]

PEOPLE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT 'KITEC' PEX PIPE, AS WELL AS THAT GRAY PIPE HE'S MENTION IT IN THIS VIDEO, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO PEOPLE TO RUN A SEWER CAMERA INSPECTION OR SEWER WATER TEST IF THE HOUSE HAS CI PIPE.

[@ThierryC2373]

A good home inspector will never give you estimates about repairs, it is not their job. They might give a broad range if you ask for something specific but they cannot tell you how much it wold cost you to remodel or repair everything. It should also be stated in the contract you sign with the inspector that they are not contractor and cannot engage in quotes for repairs. I never take the inspector recommended by the realtor as they tend to be biased toward the closing whatever they see.

[@yreeves43]

A good inspector should outline what needs to be done right away and what can be done later. They would also recommend to get quote from a contractor as was mentioned here. There is no such thing as a perfect house. I get so frustrated watching home buyer shows where the buyer is rejecting a house because of cosmetic things.

[@ericchang7706]

Most home inspectors I've encountered are incompetent alarmists. They are also biased because if they find legitimate "deal-killing" problems, they'll never be "recommended" by agents again; agents wants polyannish home inspectors! Most people watching this will do a better job than 80% of home inspectors anyway mostly because you actually care enough to learn. Listen to this guy.

[@readdaily5680]

This is a video for plumbers, not the layman.