If you're considering an older home, especially in an established neighborhood like Berthoud's historic downtown or the older core of LaPorte, the plumbing deserves a closer look than a standard home inspection always provides. A general home inspector checks that fixtures work and looks for obvious leaks, but doesn't always dig into pipe material, age, or the kind of gradual issues that only show up with a more specific check.
Check The Pipe Material First
Find an exposed section of supply pipe, typically in a basement, crawlspace, or utility closet, and check its color and whether a magnet sticks to it. Galvanized steel is dull gray and magnetic. Copper is reddish-orange and non-magnetic. PEX is flexible colored plastic. If you find galvanized steel, that's a real, checkable fact worth factoring into your decision, since it corrodes from the inside out over decades and eventually leads to falling pressure and pinhole leaks.
Ask About Sewer Line History
A standard home inspection typically doesn't include a sewer camera inspection unless specifically requested. For an older home, requesting one as part of your due diligence is worth the modest additional cost, since a damaged or root-intruded sewer line is an expensive repair that a visual inspection alone won't catch. A camera inspection shows the line's actual condition rather than leaving it as an unknown until something backs up after you've already moved in.
Test Water Pressure At Multiple Fixtures
Run water at two or three fixtures simultaneously, for example a shower and a sink, and see whether pressure drops noticeably at either. A significant drop can indicate anything from a minor issue to a failing water service line, and it's a simple test that takes only a few minutes during a showing or inspection.
Check The Water Heater's Age
Most water heaters have a manufacture date on a label, sometimes encoded in the serial number rather than printed plainly, which an inspector or plumber can help decode if it's not obvious. A unit near or past the typical 10 to 15 year service life for a tank unit is a near-term expense worth factoring into your offer or your post-purchase budget, even if it's currently functioning normally.
Look For Signs Of Past Water Damage
Water stains on ceilings, warped flooring near bathrooms or the kitchen, or a musty smell in a basement or crawlspace can all be signs of past leaks, whether resolved or ongoing. Ask directly about any past water damage or repairs, and request documentation if repairs were made, since that history tells you something about both what's already been addressed and what might still be a risk.
Check For A Sump Pump And Its Condition
If the home has a basement, check for a sump pump and ask when it was last tested or replaced. A sump pump that fails during a heavy rain or snowmelt event can lead to real basement flooding. This is an easy thing for a general inspection to gloss over if the pump happens to look fine sitting in its pit without ever being tested under load.
Ask About Any Past Repiping Or Repairs
If the seller has owned the home for a long time, ask directly whether any plumbing repairs or a partial or full repipe has been done, and request permits or receipts if so. This history is often more informative than what you can see in a single visit, since it tells you what's already been addressed versus what's still original to the home's construction.
What To Do If You Find A Real Issue
Finding galvanized pipe, an aging water heater, or a sewer line issue doesn't necessarily mean walking away from the home. It does mean factoring the realistic cost of addressing it into your offer or your near-term budget, rather than being surprised by it after closing. A full or partial repipe assessment before you finalize your offer gives you real numbers to work with rather than a vague sense that something might need attention eventually.
Check The Water Main Shutoff Location And Condition
Find the home's main water shutoff valve during your visit, and if possible, ask whether it's been operated recently. An old gate-style valve that hasn't been turned in years can seize or begin leaking the first time it's actually closed, which is worth knowing before you're relying on it during an actual emergency after you've already moved in. This is a small check that takes a minute but tells you something real about a component you'll depend on eventually.
Consider The Home's Water Pressure Regulator
Homes on a municipal water supply typically have a pressure-reducing valve where the water line enters the house, and a failed or aging regulator can cause either uncomfortably low pressure or dangerously high pressure that stresses every fixture and appliance in the home. This component isn't always checked as part of a general home inspection, and asking specifically about it, or having a plumber check it as part of a broader assessment, adds one more real data point to your overall picture of the home's plumbing health.
Don't Skip The Crawlspace Or Basement
If the home has a crawlspace or unfinished basement, walk through it yourself if possible, even briefly. Visible pipe insulation quality, any obvious past repairs like mismatched pipe sections, and general moisture conditions all tell you something a finished, fully furnished space won't reveal. Sellers don't always think to mention what's happening in these less-visited areas, and a firsthand look, even an amateur one, often surfaces questions worth asking before you finalize your decision.
Putting It All Together
None of these checks require special tools or expertise, just a bit more attention than a typical showing usually gets. Pipe material, sewer line history, water pressure, water heater age, past water damage, and sump pump condition are worth checking. So are past repairs, the main shutoff, the pressure regulator, and the crawlspace or basement. Together they give you a genuinely complete picture, one a standard inspection alone doesn't always provide for an older home specifically.
A home you love isn't a reason to skip these checks. If anything, it's exactly the reason to go in with clear eyes about what you're actually taking on beneath the surface.
A modest investment in a plumbing-specific assessment now is far cheaper than an unplanned repiping or sewer repair discovered in your first year of ownership.
We're happy to walk through a property with you before you finalize an offer, so you're making the decision with real information rather than guesswork.
Bottom Line
A standard home inspection is a good starting point, but it isn't the same as a plumbing-specific assessment. For an older home, the extra time spent checking pipe material, requesting a sewer camera inspection, and asking pointed questions about plumbing history is a small investment that can prevent a large, unexpected cost after you've already closed.
Considering an older home and want a plumbing assessment before you finalize your offer? Call Loveland Pro Plumbing at (970) 708-6013.