Interior Waste Lines Inspection

Interior Waste Line Inspection

There are five different types of drain line material found in houses:

PVC: Most commonly found in new homes today, PVC is white in color and the size that is normally used today for main waste lines is 3″ to 4″ in size.  PVC is also used for interior waste lines coming from your kitchen and bath, these lines are normally 2″ to 2 1/2″ excluding toilets which will normally be 3″ to 4″.  These types of pipes should have a long dependable life if not damaged.Galvanized Steel: Found in older homes  and has a life expectancy of 50 to 75 years, we recommend to look closely at the pipes for areas that are rusting and may cause future problems.Copper: A high quality pipe that was used in the 1950’s to 1960’s. Copper was commonly used for drains in bathrooms and kitchens.  Sometimes you will find the main waste lines installed in copper.Lead: Mainly used in older homes and commonly found mainly for traps under sinks and baths.Black Cast Iron: Commonly found in older homes, we have found that this type of pipe could last anywhere from 50 to over 100years.

pvc waste linePVC Waste Line cast iron waste lineBlack cast iron waste line lead waste lineLead waste line

 

 We recommend that you run all the water in the home for a few minutes including flushing all the toilets and look very closely under all the waste lines in the basements for leaks.  It is also very important to look at the ceilings on the main floor of the home where there is a second story directly under all bathrooms.  Look for water stains or drywall/plaster repairs.

The most common problem areas:

  1. Leaks under toilets
  2. Leaks under bathtubs and sinks
  3. Look very closely at all cast iron and galvanized lines for severe rusting (remember this material is very old).

Cast iron plumbing crackCracked cast iron main waste line

 plumbing 1 main 6Cracked cast iron main line has beenpatched plumbing 1 main 4PVC main line with improper homeowner modification
toilet leakToilet main line leak plumbing 1 mian 2Plumbing line cleanout is leaking Plumbing 1 main 1Completely improper installation ofdrain pipe using flexible pipe ducttaped to PVC pipe
main waste lineWater leak under the bathroom toilet. main waste lineWater leak under the bathroom tubfound in the basement.

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