What Happens During a Plumbing Inspection
What actually gets looked at, what gets tested, and — just as important — what an inspection cannot promise you.
35 years of licensed plumbing experience in the San Antonio area — 33 of them as a licensed Master Plumber and Responsible Master Plumber (RMP).
Why People Ask for One
Usually one of four reasons: a home is changing hands, an inspection report flagged plumbing items, something keeps going wrong and nobody has explained why, or a compliance requirement demands documentation.
Each of those wants a slightly different kind of look.
What Gets Evaluated
- Visible supply lines, drains, and their condition and material.
- Fixtures, shutoff valves, and supply connections.
- Water heater condition, installation, venting, relief valve discharge, pan, and expansion tank.
- Water pressure, and whether pressure-regulating equipment is doing its job.
- Gas line conditions and appliance connections, where applicable.
- where applicable.
- Drain and sewer behavior — and camera inspection where the situation calls for it.
Testing Versus Looking
Looking tells you what is visible. Testing tells you what is true. A static or hydrostatic test can indicate whether a drain system is holding; a pressure test tells you what the supply side is doing.
Which test is appropriate depends on the question you are actually trying to answer. See plumbing testing and inspection.
What an Inspection Cannot Do
An inspection or test answers a specific question under specific conditions on a specific day. It does not guarantee that a system is free of every defect, it does not predict future failures, and it does not by itself guarantee code approval, inspection approval, or utility release.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.
What You Get From Us
We tell you what we found, what it means, what we would do about it, and what we would leave alone. We report what the testing shows — not what anyone in the transaction hopes it shows.
Need Something Inspected or Tested?
Call us and tell us what question you are trying to answer. We will tell you which test actually answers it.