There are over 244000 households in Baltimore. When it comes to repairs, you want the best plumber available to handle your specific situation. But what if your problem is due to the age of your house? This can be very difficult because older homes tend to have different plumbing issues than newer ones.

Here are some tips you may use when hiring a Baltimore plumber to work on an older home:

Inspect the Galvanized Pipes

Baltimore has humidity levels of around 51% and this could cause your pipes to galvanize. If you live in an old house (50+ years), then there’s a good chance that parts of it may not be up to modern standards.

While this shouldn’t bother you too much as long as everything works just fine, there’s one thing that can cause problems down the road: galvanized steel pipes. These were used extensively back in the day due to their affordability and ease of installation, but they’re also much lower quality.

Steel is much weaker than copper, or other metals can be, and over time, the pipe’s interior can corrode and become too thin to support the required pressure. As it turns out, this isn’t just an issue with your water pipes. You may see problems with your gas lines which are made of steel throughout their entire length.

There needs to be at least 12-gauge thickness for plumbing lines to remain safe for use (and anything less than 10-gauge is subpar). If there’s any rusting visible on the inside of your plumbing pipes, then you should call a plumber immediately. They’ll be able to identify any issues and give you a quote as to what needs to be done.

Check the Plumbing System for Lead

If galvanized steel isn’t an issue for you, there’s still one metal that can cause problems: lead.

Lead is becoming less common in plumbing because of its toxicity and high price tag (it makes up 23% of the cost). But regardless of price, it does degrade over time. This means it can leach into your drinking water regardless of whether or not you have copper pipes underneath it all.

If you want to know if the lead is the problem, then buy yourself a lead testing kit from your local hardware store or call a plumber for a detailed inspection.

Let the Experts Handle Pipe Inspections

If you’re not sure whether or not your home is equipped with galvanized steel, lead, or copper plumbing pipes, don’t try to figure it out yourself. Call in a Baltimore plumber and let them deal with it. Plumbers in Baltimore need a Maryland plumbing license.

Not only will this cost less than trying to fix the issue using hit-or-miss techniques (which could cause further damage to your plumbing), but you’ll also be able to get an expert opinion about what needs to be done how much it should cost. This way, when they give you a quote, there won’t be any nasty surprises.

Of course, once you’ve worked out how to deal with the plumbing pipes issue, you also need some help as far as repairs go.

They’ll be able to provide all the services you’d expect from a plumber, including:

• Sink/toilet/shower installation & repair
• Water heater replacement
• Drain cleaning & service
• Pipe fitting & repair

It doesn’t matter if you live in Towson, Baltimore, Catonsville, or Glen Burnie – expert plumbers can handle any job in any of these areas.

Check for the Low Water Pressure

The last thing you need to watch out for in older homes is low water pressure.

In many cases, this can be caused a number of different problems with the plumbing system – from mineral deposits in the pipes to switching from galvanized steel to copper or any other material. In other words, you may have a big project on your hands that would require extensive work and cost a lot of money.

However, if you notice signs of damage in your old home’s plumbing system (rusty pipes), then don’t bother waiting around for a quote. Call a plumber right away! You’ll get an accurate idea of what needs to be done and how much it should cost within 24 hours.

In The End

Older homes typically have plumbing problems for three reasons – age, materials, and metal compatibility.

If you’re a homeowner in Baltimore who is concerned with these issues (and want to avoid them as much as possible), be sure to upgrade your home’s insulation and plumbing systems.

So if you’re having trouble with your plumbing in an older home, don’t try to fix it yourself – call a professional. Visit their website or give them a call for more information.