Plumbing Inspection in Louisville, CO

What happens when you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Louisville. Let them know the address, roughly when the house was built or rebuilt, and whether it is a purchase. During the visit the plumber checks the main shutoff and pressure, inspects the water heater and its venting, runs every fixture, looks for leaks under sinks and at toilet bases, examines visible drain and vent piping and, if requested, runs a camera through the sewer line. Expect a summary of what needs attention now and what can wait.

Cost factors

• House size and the number of bathrooms and fixtures
• Whether you include the camera run
• Access to piping in older basements and crawl spaces
• Whether you want a written summary for a contract

Local conditions in Louisville

Louisville started as a coal-mining town, and its historic downtown still has older homes where original supply lines, drains and sewer pipe can turn up. At the other end, hundreds of homes were rebuilt after the Marshall Fire. For a rebuilt house, a plumber's inspection is more about workmanship: a properly installed water heater and expansion tank, good pressure regulation, and drains that are pitched and vented correctly.

The City of Louisville supplies water from South Boulder Creek and Colorado River basin sources through two city treatment plants and disinfects with chlorine. It keeps an inventory of service lines to confirm no customers are on lead lines and asks owners whose line material is unknown to self-report it, so a plumber noting the material at the house is useful. Few homes rely on private wells. Wastewater goes to the city's own plant on the east side of town.

Backflow test reports in Louisville are filed through the city's contractor, Backflow Solutions, Inc. The city's Building Safety Division issues permits and performs plumbing inspections for repair work.

Checklist before the plumber arrives

• Clear access to the water heater, furnace and main shutoff
• Find the sewer cleanout
• Gather rebuild or remodel paperwork if the home was rebuilt
• List leaks, slow drains or noisy pipes you have noticed
• Know the gas basics: if you smell gas, leave, then call 911 and Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-2999