In most cases when you have a new home or purchased an older home with new plumbing, you are at a huge advantage and off to a great start. But while it is important to regularly keep an eye on your pipes, it poses a more critical time to do so if you’re living in an older home (older meaning over 30 years). As plumbing ages, (especially metal galvanized) older pipes will generally show indications of problems. If you don’t follow-up on plumbing problems closely, you might miss the signs of issues that could result in extremely costly damage. When checking areas, look for areas in your home that you may not logically think about, areas such as; water heater cabinets, crawlspaces, garages, basements and attics, and look for the following clues that your pipes may need to be repaired or replaced. Don't make the mistake that most people make, if you see an issue, REACT.
Okay, so I said that you're at a huge advantage if you have a new home or have replaced old plumbing. Not so fast, because this only holds true if the job was done right in the first place. The problem comes, when the installer is lazy or doesn't know what he or she is doing. Copper is a great option for a new incoming water system, yet if the plumber is in a hurry or just doesn't know any better, you could end up having to change out your piping system again in a year or two. It's called... when you see copper pipe that is all covered with green/blue corrosion on it, especially around the joints, it usually means some lazy plumber neglected to clean off the excess flux, as he or she is required to do so by plumbing codes, and Good Practice. Once the pipes are contaminated, the next step are small pinholes in the copper tubing.
