What goes on inside your mind immediately when you hear someone talking about plumbing? You probably think about your faucets, showers, water pipes, or the toilet. There isn’t anything wrong with such thoughts. If anything, it is what many homeowners often associate plumbing with. They are, after all, the most common plumbing fixtures and parts. But like you’re about to find out, there’s much more with your system than just the handles and knobs that cause clean water to come out of the faucet.
Your home’s plumbing system features vents, drains, sewage lines, supply lines, and so much more, tucked deep inside your ceilings and walls. These are, without a doubt, the most critical parts of your plumbing system. They make everything function seamlessly as far as plumbing is concerned. Think about the fixtures this way – a $25 budget faucet and a $3000 imported tap are useless without an effective water supply complete with a drain line designed to carry in water and drain it away.
What Happens Inside The Walls?
There are so many things that must work correctly for your plumbing system to run each day smoothly. You only have to look at your home’s plumbing system design or blueprint to appreciate your plumbing and sewer systems’ craftsmanship. In a nutshell, the system is made of the following:
- Supply lines – They refer to plumbing lines designed to feed cold and hot water into different faucets and plumbing fixtures. In nearly all plumbing systems, there are usually more cold water lines than hot water. Both lines serve the same purpose, though, which is to supply water.
- Drain lines – They carry all the waste and water away from your fixtures. They eventually deed water into your septic tank or sewer.
- Vent lines – They allow air to circulate through your drain lines evenly. They also have a second beneficial function – they allow sewer fumes or gasses to escape outside your home and not flood or back up inside the living spaces.
It’s More To Your Plumbing System Than What Your Eyes See
Home remodeling TV shows are the rage these days. They are filled with million-dollar homes complete with what often seems like clean, running water courtesy of well-designed plumbing systems. Nearly all shows focus on pretty stuff like faucets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, etc. Unfortunately, they deliberately ignore the structures behind the fancy plumbing fixtures they show in the bathrooms or kitchen areas. Such stuff doesn’t make good TV, after all. That’s a huge mistake, though, especially for a new homeowner who knows little or nothing about plumbing. Hooking a brand new and elegant faucet to old plumbing fixtures will only lead to mammoth problems eventually.
Be Smart
Buying a flipped and thoroughly remodeled home is, by all means, a good idea. You don’t have to rush through the process. Have a licensed plumber by your side to ensure the home you’re about to buy isn’t just fitted with aesthetically appealing plumbing fixtures to lure you into buying. Request your plumber to inspect the home’s plumbing system thoroughly. Be keen on red flags like low water pressure and loose fittings.
Remember that the stuff outside the walls and all other plumbing fixtures you can see may look great. You shouldn’t just settle for the looks when you decide on whether or not to buy or rent a home. Internal plumbing fixtures matter more than you may know, which is why you’ll always need a plumber’s opinion before buying or renting a place that you intend to call home for many years. Remember, you’ll still need a plumber for scheduled repairs and maintenance even after finally settling on a home.
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