Utilities & You: What to look for before a move
So, you caught the dirty secrets swept up under the rug and saw things in a different light like we discussed, but at the end of the day that only helped you catch a few of the houses shortcomings. A house is so much more than just floors and walls to consider. They have innards, complex and intertwining with one another, that need to be considered and cared for. Heating, plumbing, electrical, and insulation are all factors you need to account for, and if you don’t it could mean big trouble.
But just like with structural damage and finding red flags in the small things, there’s ways to catch these innards as issues before it becomes too late.
Hell or High Water, check your plumbing
Plumbing is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, changing the entire way civilizations went about their day to day. It’s also a massive liability if handled incorrectly, and can be source of no shortage of issues for a homeowner. All throughout your walls are pipes that knit and weave around the inside of a home, carrying water through all these vulnerable parts of your home to every sink, shower, and faucet. It’s inevitable that you’re at some point going to run into a leak or bad piping situation, so make sure that time doesn’t come when you first buy your home.
So when you’re looking at a new home, here’s a few simple things to do that can tell you a lot about the situation inside the pipes.
Turn the sinks on.
Just letting the water run can tell you a number of things wrong with the plumbing. First, the water pressure. A weak flow means the water pressure isn’t strong enough, which could mean a leak somewhere in the system, build up in the line, or even pipes that just aren’t big enough.
Next, if water keeps dripping afterwards, don’t ignore it. Not only are leaky sinks annoying but they can corrode away the inside of a faucet to the point of requiring replacing the whole sink.
Finally, if it’s slow to drain, the sink could have blockage or there could even be an issue deeper down the line that may need something as serious as getting your main line checked.
Flush the toilet.
Now, you may not be able to easily check for a clog unless you jam a load of toilet paper down the pipes, but there’s still other things to check. First, to see how long it refills. If it just seems to keep running for minutes on minutes after the fact, you probably have some bad innards in the basin. It could cost you some ridiculous water bills, so don’t be afraid to open up the lid and see if something’s wrong.
And if there’s water around the base of the water, don’t be so dismissive to assume it’s just something unsavory and unhygienic. It could be a leak that could potentially lead to structural damage.
Follow the pipes.
Ask to see where all the plumbing leads with the homeowner, usually connected to the heater. Examine the sheet-rock and floors around where the pipes run and check for discoloration or obvious water damage. It’s pretty self explanatory, but it’s a big red flag if you plan on buying.
Check for smells.
Yes. After you flush or run any water anywhere, check for smells coming from the drain. It could mean there’s blockage down the line and potentially lead to overflowing and flooding. Which is the last thing anyone wants after you take your first shower. If you do smell something off and it’s similar to a decomposing scent, you probably have some manner of backup that requires someone to snake your drain.
Water damage can lead to some of the worst damage your home can experience outside of a fire while being so much less noticeable. So make sure you’re not getting in over your head with a home full of leaky pipes and runny faucets that will cost you hundreds in wasted water and even more in repairs.
If you can’t handle the heat, buy a different house
Unless you live in the Mediterranean, chances are you’re going to have to contend with the cold, heat, or both. And if you live in a place like Long Island, prepare for both. One of the greatest amenities of the modern household is all the ways we have to deal with inclement weather and changes in climate. Insulation keeps our interior temperature predictable and when that’s not enough we have heaters and coolers to keep things from getting too extreme.
Some people prefer not to use these too often, however, given the high power cost it usually demands and only resort to their excessive use if they can afford it, don’t realize the expense, or just don’t care. Afterall, sometimes it’s too hot to think straight. However, regardless of use or disuse, you’ll find you’re open to a world of problems. Here’s a few things to check for that could save you from having to unfreeze some funds down the line.
Check the insulation
Easier said than done, but knowing if the insulation hasn’t been changed since the fifties could be a difference between a cozy winter and having to wear mittens inside. Insulation is usually between drywall, and unless your host is willing to knock down a wall you’re not going to see it there. Instead, if the building has an attic, check there. You’ll find the insulation is usually exposed in one way or another up there and you can get an idea what the rest of the house’s heat retention situation is.
Also beware of older windows with single pane glass. Heat is going to bleed through them and cost you tons during the winter.
Beware of Dust
Dusty Air Conditioners or radiators aren’t just a fire hazard, but also usually mean they’re not clean. Air conditioning and central air in particular are one of the chief causes of the spread of diseases, and can spread all throughout your house if you run an unclean air conditioner or heater. And of course, you just run the risk of having unpleasant and possibly allergen filled dust floating throughout your home. Fixing this could be as easy is giving the offending appliance a wipe down, or as serious as getting your vents or radiators cleaned out by a professional.
Out of Season, Out of Mind
If you’re looking at a home come Winter or Summer, chances are you may completely overlook checking either the heating or cooling situation. Why turn the Air Conditioner on in the middle of December, after all? Well. To see if it works. You don’t need to run it long, just enough to get a slight breeze or a bit of heat (if you’re testing the radiator) to determine if they’re even functional. Otherwise you may find yourself completely out of luck come half a year from when you bought.
Check out those pipes
When a singer is truly exceptional, you might hear someone refer to their vocal talent as “pipes.” Unfortunately, when your house makes a lot of noise you might actually have to check out the pipes. Run the heat and you may find the entire home creaks, rattles, and knocks when the water runs through the pipes to the radiators. This is a common problem, and while usually not an issue, it could be indicative of old plumbing that are worth looking into.
A Shocking Discovery
We rely on electricity for so much, but one of the dangers people may encounter is that after a rapid advancement in technology, older homes weren’t built with the demands of a modern household. The circuits aren’t built for a digital household, and if you don’t get your wires uncrossed you could find yourself in a very dangerous situation.
Here’s a few things to look at, but at the end of the day checking the electric is best left to a professional.
Exposed Wiring
Loose outlets, wires sticking out from exposed light fixtures, or just uncapped wires sticking out in areas could be massive hazards and indicators of bigger issues.
Burns near the circuit breaker
Singe marks are an obvious red flag. There’s not much more to say about it than “hey that’s a fire hazard.”
Dim Lights when electronics turn on
If the lights go dim when something turns on, that’s a pretty good sign the grid isn’t designed to support a modern lifestyle. The last thing you want is a fuse blowing because it couldn’t handle a television and air conditioner being on at the same time.
Unfortunately, discovering the precise issues of a home’s electrical situation isn’t so easy at a glance, and outside of blatant exposed wiring or shoddy fixtures you’re going to need a professional to look at the readings and determine them yourself. If the homeowner hasn’t hired one themself, requesting for an electrician to do a walk through and examine the home closely isn’t such a big request.
Ultimately though, that’s your best bet to making sure a home is really worth the price; a professional opinion. Plumbers and electricians make house calls to do walk throughs explicitly for this purpose, and generally the cost they request is worth just knowing the situation. And assuming your seller isn’t going to do it, it never hurts to ask if you could have one accompany you during your time in the home.
Hopefully they won’t be needed, but it never hurts to know.