Plumbing Inspections and Preventative Maintenance in the Treasure Valley

Nearly every emergency we get called to was preventable and visible in advance. A water heater that flooded a garage had been rumbling for months. A pipe that split in January ran through an uninsulated crawl space everybody knew about. A supply line that let go behind a washing machine was the original rubber hose from 1998.

An inspection is a couple of hours that turns those unknowns into a list. And a list you can budget for is very different from a two in the morning phone call and a restoration company.

Static water pressure and the pressure regulator, because high pressure quietly destroys fixtures and appliances and is common in parts of Boise and the foothills. Water heater age, condition, sediment, anode rod, venting, expansion tank and relief valve. Supply pipe material and condition, including whether you still have galvanized or polybutylene. Main shutoff and every fixture shutoff, since a valve that will not turn is useless in an emergency. Visible drain lines and drain flow at each fixture. Toilets for leaks, rocking and running. Under-sink areas for slow leaks and soft cabinet bases. Washing machine and dishwasher supply hoses. Hose bibs, vacuum breakers and irrigation connections. Crawl space piping for insulation, sagging, corrosion and past leak evidence. Sump pump operation if you have one. A meter test to catch hidden leaks anywhere in the system.

In our water, flushing the water heater once a year matters more than anywhere with soft water. It pulls out the sediment that insulates the burner, causes rumbling and eventually kills the tank. Checking the anode rod costs little and can add years to a heater's life.

Beyond that: exercising shutoff valves so they still work when you need them, cleaning aerators and shower heads that hard water has clogged, replacing rubber washing machine hoses with braided stainless, servicing the softener so it keeps protecting everything downstream, and testing the sump pump before runoff instead of during it.

Our freezes are hard enough and long enough to split pipe, and the routine damage is entirely avoidable. Before the first cold snap, disconnect garden hoses so hose bibs can drain, insulate exposed piping in crawl spaces, garages, attics and outbuildings, shut off and drain irrigation systems properly, and know where your main shutoff is before you need it in the dark.

If you own a rental, a second home or a shop that sits unheated, a winterizing visit is cheap insurance. A line that lets go in an empty building can run for days.

A general home inspector is a generalist and will say so. If you are buying a 1950s Nampa house or a farmhouse outside Caldwell, a plumber's eyes on the supply material, the main line, the water heater and the crawl space is worth far more than the cost, both for negotiation and for planning.

If you are selling, an inspection ahead of listing lets you fix things on your schedule and your budget rather than in the middle of a negotiation.