Now is the time to add a certified plumber to your HVAC team

The Homeowners Consumer Center now urges potential home buyers in the U.S. to get a licensed plumber to inspect properties built before 2009 to make certain it will not need a re-pipe. If you are an HVAC contractor serving the residential market, now might be a good time to add a certified plumber to your service team to cover ductwork and pipe inspection.

According to the Homeowners Consumer Center, "The average cost of a plumbing re-pipe for a single-family home in the United States is about $10,000 and most home inspections in the US do not cover defective plumbing pipe, or a plumbing system that may need to be replaced-re-piped."

The Center also urges homes with the following types of residential plumbing pipe subject to a recall, litigation, should be replaced because of age:

Imported Chinese copper residential plumbing pipe (2003-2009).
Kitec Plumbing Systems (recalled 2005)
Polybutylene plumbing pipe frequently starts to fail within 20 years.
Older homes built in the 1960's may have galvanized pipe that should be replaced-because of age.
Pex Pipe with defective brass fittings
Copper pipes in a US built home prior to 1980

"We want to emphasize home buyers in the United States need to start taking a serious look at their proposed home's plumbing pipes in the exact same way they look at a home's roof. Just because you cannot see a home's plumbing system it does not mean it is not something to be concerned about. The perfect time to replace a home's pluming pipes is the transition period between the current homeowner and a home buyer," the Center says.

A new initiative by the Homeowners Consumer Center is inviting the top 100 plumbing companies in major cities to educate home buyers who are on the verge of purchasing an existing home. The initial target cities for this initiative include Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, San Jose, San Diego, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Miami, Tampa, San Antonio, Portland, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh.

For more information about how your company can be listed as a reputable plumbing company in one of the cities, call 866-714-6466 or visit homeownersconsumercenter.com.

Source: Homeowners Consumer Center

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Emell Derra Adolphus has more than a decade of writing and journalism experience. He is senior editor of ENR’s Top Lists and Survey Rankings at ENR magazine and frequently contributes stories on technology, climate resiliency, diversity, equity and inclusion.