I get leak detection requests occasionally from prospective clients, most often in conjunction with a home they already own. I tell them leak detection is not an explicit part of a home inspection, though in the course of tracking down excess moisture accumulation leaks and their causes are sometimes obvious. The person is usually not interested in a home inspection, just someone who can detect leaks. But it raises an interesting question of how responsible a home inspector is for hunting down leaks.

To my knowledge, leak detection is not offered by any home inspector, even as a specialized service. I am aware of companies that detect leaks in swimming pools. And, of course, plumbers are well equipped to trace a pipe leak, and roofers a roof leak, back to its source. So there are experts in other fields that one can turn to. Still, though some practitioners of my trade expand their business by providing additional inspection services, such as radon testing, mold inspecting, or air pollutant sampling, there seems to be no inherent reason why leak detection couldn't be one of them.

Faucet parts come in so many categories, styles, colors, materials, and mounting characteristics that I as a home inspector get lost in the maze. What the many faucet parts mean to the average homeowner I can only imagine. Fortunately, on my inspections, I only have to concern myself with operating faucets. This is usually easy, although in some cases it is not immediately intuitive.

Replacing faucet parts is another story. It isn't that often that a homeowner has to do this, but when it becomes necessary it pays to know what one is up against. I half believe that there is a conspiracy between plumbers and manufacturers of faucet parts to make it as difficult as possible for the do-it-yourself owner. I'm not talking about replacing worn out washers but about replacing the faucets themselves.

Inspecting drain pipe is thorny because so much of it is hidden from view. Furthermore, drain pipe leaks can go unnoticed for a long time, whereas leaks in a service or supply line will show up quickly as an increased water bill. Some of my customers express concern about the inaccessibility of their efflux plumbing and their inability to know whether or not they have a problem. And their concerns are not unfounded; outdoor pipe in particular is susceptible to corrosion, cracking, and vegetative invasion. Yet, though I have some insight into leak detection, there are limitations to how much I can help them because so much of the pipe is buried.

Drain pipe terminology is also confusing. It is used in a host of applications, including storm systems, sewer or septic lines outside the home, plumbing that empties fixtures inside the home, and special functions such as French drains. As a whole, output house plumbing is called the drain-waste-vent (DWV) system, which adds to the confusion. Some people insist that drain piping doesn't carry any solids while waste piping does, but others claim that the two are equivalent. Then the vent piping, the purpose of which is to equalize air pressure as a deterrent to siphoning and backflow, connects directly to the drain piping and in some cases doubles as drain pipe itself. Hence, distinguishing the three sets of pipes from each other is not straightforward.

Bathroom plumbing gets a lot of wear and tear, and is the most likely place in the house for leaks to develop. That's why bathroom plumbing is one of the most scrutinized items on the home inspector's checklist. Moreover, much of the plumbing in the bathroom, particularly for the shower and bathtub, is inaccessible, so that if and when leaks do occur they can go unnoticed for a long time. This can result in unwanted moisture damaging wood and/or attracting infestations of wood-destroying organisms.

I inspect bathroom plumbing methodically, deliberately, and thoroughly because of this significance and these ramifications. I have completed proper training, been the recipient of invaluable mentorship, and picked up some plumber secrets along the way. Allow me to share my approach to inspecting a bathroom and all of its varied plumbing.

Plumbing fixtures are a mainstay of the modern home, and homeowners use them on a daily basis. But plumbing fixtures develop annoying problems from time to time. These problems range from leaks to installation issues to cross connections to malfunctioning traps. Home inspectors find and report on such problems all the time, and oftentimes the homeowner is capable of implementing the remedies they recommend.

The term "plumbing fixtures" refers to sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, bidets, and their associated plumbing hardware. (In this sense, hose bibbs are a kind of plumbing fixture.) I prefer to group the problems one can experience with fixtures into these categories: faucet parts, bathroom plumbing, and traps. Let's investigate the nature of these problems and see if there are plumber secrets that can help one anticipate or fix them.

Plumber jokes abound, usually centering around their exorbitant fees or making fun of do-it-yourself homeowners whose ineptness worsens the situation and requires calling a plumber to save the day. But, though the plumber is in fact highly skilled and generally worth his fee, the homeowner doesn't have to bemoan his inaccessibility to arcane plumber secrets. He doesn't have to remain clueless nor does he have to fear ineptness. He can do quite successfully a number of plumbing-related tasks himself.

The plumber is frankly more interested in focusing on major problems for which he has been extensively trained to solve and is usually content to leave minor issues to the homeowner. So in the rest of this blog, let's get a better understanding of how all the plumbing in your house functions and see what jobs are safe for you to tackle and what are better left to the plumber.