Broward · Miami-Dade · Jacksonville
Plumbing Inspections
A plumbing inspection is a systematic look at a home's water and drain systems — every fixture, the water heater, the visible piping, the shut-offs — finished with written findings and photos. It is most valuable before buying a home, especially in Florida's older neighborhoods where cast iron drains and original supply lines are common, and as an annual check-up. We explain what we find in plain language; what to do about it is entirely your call.
What the job includes
- Fixture-by-fixture check: every faucet, toilet, tub, and shower tested
- Water heater assessment — age, condition, sediment signs, relief valve
- Supply lines and shut-off valves checked and exercised, including the main
- Water pressure reading, since chronically high pressure shortens the life of everything
- Visible drain and trap condition, plus water meter observation with everything off
- A written report with photos of everything worth knowing about
How you know it’s time
You are buying a home, especially an older one
A general home inspection touches plumbing lightly. A dedicated inspection before closing tells you what the pipes, drains, and water heater are really made of.
Your home is over 40 and has never had one
Original galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains have a service life, and much of Florida's older housing is at or past it. An inspection tells you where yours stand.
Your water bill moved and you cannot explain it
A meter check with all fixtures off, plus a fixture-by-fixture pass, either finds the culprit or rules out a leak — both useful answers.
You are planning a remodel
Knowing what is behind the walls before you open them keeps a bathroom project from growing surprises mid-way.
When to make the call
Book a plumbing inspection during the option period when buying a home — that window is exactly what it is for — or once a year as a routine check-up, the way you would service an air conditioner. It is an unhurried, scheduled visit at whatever time suits you, and it pairs naturally with a maintenance visit if you want small findings fixed on the spot. For a pre-1970s home with its original drains, sooner is simply more informative.
Local knowledge
Plumbing Inspections is a different job in Broward than in Jacksonville. We know both.
Broward & Miami-Dade
Buying in South Florida, the questions are the house's era: galvanized or cast iron in a 1950s Hollywood or North Miami Beach home, polybutylene in a 1980s Coral Springs or Kendall home, the water heater's age in a 2000s Weston or Doral home, and in any condo, where the unit's responsibility ends. A pre-purchase inspection with a camera on the drains answers all of it in writing.
Jacksonville & the First Coast
Jacksonville's housing stock makes inspections unusually worthwhile. Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, Springfield, and Murray Hill hold a deep supply of pre-1970s homes with original cast iron drains — prone by now to rust, scale, and root intrusion from mature oaks, particularly around Mandarin — and some still carry galvanized supply lines. Nearly everything here sits on a concrete slab, so a copper supply leak under it announces itself only as a warm floor spot or an unexplained bill; an inspection is how that gets caught early.
Questions
Plumbing Inspections. Ask us anything.
Last reviewed September 16, 2026
Should I get a plumbing inspection before buying a house in Florida?
Yes — for older Florida homes especially, a dedicated plumbing inspection before closing is one of the most useful checks you can order. General home inspectors run the faucets, but they typically do not assess pipe materials, exercise the shut-offs, or read the pressure. In neighborhoods like Riverside and San Marco, where original cast iron drains are still in service, knowing their condition before you sign changes what you can negotiate.
What does a plumbing inspection include?
A plumbing inspection includes testing every fixture, assessing the water heater, exercising shut-off valves including the main, reading the water pressure, examining visible drains and traps, watching the meter with everything off, and documenting it all in a written report with photos. Where something warrants specialized equipment, such as a sewer camera, the report says so explicitly.
How long does a plumbing inspection take?
Most home plumbing inspections take one to two hours, depending on the size of the house, the number of bathrooms, and how accessible the water heater and shut-offs are. Older homes run longer because there is more worth documenting. The written report with photos comes afterward, so you keep the findings rather than a verbal summary.
How much does a plumbing inspection cost?
The cost of a plumbing inspection depends mainly on the size and age of the home — more bathrooms and older systems mean more to test and document. It is priced as a flat visit rather than by what we find, which keeps the incentives clean: the report has no reason to exaggerate. Price upfront; any repairs you choose are quoted separately with free estimates.
Is a plumbing inspection the same as a sewer camera inspection?
No — they complement each other. A plumbing inspection covers the whole visible system: fixtures, water heater, supply lines, shut-offs, pressure, and drains as far as they can be observed. A sewer camera inspection sends a camera down the main drain line to see inside the buried pipe — the right tool for old cast iron laterals or a history of backups. If our findings point that way, we will say why.
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Serving Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Jacksonville & the First Coast.