Older homes can have a lot of charm, but the risks associated with potential plumbing issues will quickly make them feel less charming. Fortunately, a little bit of awareness and planning will go a long way to preventing such problems. Homeowners need to understand the plumbing challenges that come with having an older house. Be aware of these seven ways that plumbing oftentimes goes wrong in aging homes.
1. Obsolete Materials
Many older houses have obsolete materials in their plumbing systems. The scariest possibility is lead. Lead pipes were the popular choice for indoor plumbing for a long time, but they are no longer considered safe due to health concerns associated with lead. Even if a house supposedly has redone plumbing lines, there could still be lead in the house. For example, someone might have cut off the old lead lines but left them in place to save time, money and labor. Also, previous homeowners may simply not have properly disclosed the presence of lead, and then, later, buyers simply didn’t know.
Lead solder is another problem. Even in houses with copper pipes, lead solder was still in use in the 1980s to connect pipes.
Galvanized steel pipes are another common problem. They are prone to corrosion, and that leads to lots of little leaks throughout an older house. If the water pressure is strong at the main connection but weak throughout the house, this could be the cause.
The upside is that modern solutions, particularly flexible pipes, make redoing the plumbing lines easier than ever before. These lines generally don’t suffer from corrosion. They are also very easy to fit into difficult spaces, making them especially appealing for remodels where homeowners change the locations of showers, sinks and other fixtures.
2. Tree Root Intrusion
Sewer lines can pose one of the worst plumbing problems in older houses. Particularly, some homes have older exterior sewer lines made of clay. Tree roots can intrude into these lines, creating bursts or blockages.
Once more, there are multiple modern solutions. For example, trenchless piping systems make it easy in most cases to sleeve a new lining into the affected area. This ensures that there is a solid pipe. Also, the sleeving process minimizes the amount of disturbance necessary to get the job done. Rather than digging up and replacing the entire line, a relatively non-invasive solution is to put a tiny hole in the ground and then run the sleeve.
3. Old Water Heaters
Lots of houses have water heaters that are still running long after their expected service life spans. This isn’t even a problem unique to really old houses. You can find corrosion damage in water heaters in houses that are less than a decade old. Water heaters may suffer sediment buildups and corrosion even after just a few years in service.
Where water heaters are an especially insidious problem in older homes is that they tend to be a problem that’s out of sight and out of mind. As long as the water heater keeps running, many people just ignore it. This allows them to degrade for years or even decades without replacement. Components like expansion tanks, pressure relief valves, regulators and pilot lights can all slowly fail without cutting off your hot water supply.
Notably, a water heater may just be very lucky and keep working for decades without trouble. That doesn’t mean its age is a good thing. Older water heaters are often significantly more inefficient compared to modern models. They often lack insulation. Also, an older water heater might not have the needed capacity for your household.
4. Insufficient Shut-Off Systems
The older a house is, the more likely that the folks who installed it didn’t include what we’d today consider sufficient safety measures. Many old homes don’t have enough shut-off valves to properly isolate problems. For example, very old houses may not have shut-off valves close enough to the toilets and sinks.
You can almost bet that the main shut-off valve for the entire house is likely not up to today’s standard in a house that’s older than 50 years. Older gate valves are no longer in use. Recent improvements in materials that benefited piping have also benefited valves. Local building codes have likely changed, too. Even if the plumbing system in a house was grandfathered in legally, an old shut-off valve isn’t a good thing.
Similarly, recent safety innovations aren’t going to be present in an old house. For example, smart leak detection systems may not be present in a house that’s just 10 years old. The technology is simply too new. However, retrofitting a plumbing system with a smart system to detect a leak in a line and turn it off is a simple process. You only have to prevent one flood in your home’s basement for the investment to pay for itself.
5. Aging Fixtures
Faucets, toilets, showerheads and other fixtures have the same aging problems as other parts of a plumbing system. Once more, people frequently just ignore aging fixtures as long as they keep working. However, they are just as prone to corrosion and sediment buildup. Likewise, modern plumbing fixtures are likely to be far more efficient than what’s current in an old house.
6. Venting
This is another case where modern building codes have likely changed and rendered a simple system obsolete. Venting ensures that sewer gases in the plumbing system have somewhere to escape. If a house is especially old, it might not even have a sewer. Another problem is that sewer vents in older houses may not be high enough.
Many older houses have had remodels and additions. If someone added more kitchen capacity or a new bathroom to the house, they may have tied the venting system for the new space into the old sewer system. Pushing more gas into the same vent runs the risk of backing it up.
7. Limited Capacity
Older homes were built for a society that led a different life, particularly in terms of plumbing requirements. While washing machines, ice dispensers, dishwashers and second bathrooms don’t sound extremely modern, an older house may not have been built for your demands.
Even if someone performed renovations to meet changing plumbing demands, those changes might not have been sufficient for a modern household. You might notice the water pressure drops when someone does laundry while you shower, for example. Installing new lines and drains is a good way to ensure that the overall plumbing system will provide the needed capacity and some overhead.
Anderson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric is a business that proudly serves Mentor, OH and the rest of the Greater Cleveland metro area. Our company has been around since 1982. HomeAdvisor has screened and approved our contracting firm, too.
If you require help with piping, bathroom plumbing, a water heater, a sump pump or another plumbing system, we are here to help. We also provide heating, cooling and electrical services. Contact Anderson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric today to schedule an appointment with a professional plumber.
