What Should You Check About the Plumbing Before Buying a Home in Bonita Springs?

Find out five things: what the water supply pipes are made of, what condition the drain lines under the house are in, how old the water heater is, whether the home is on central sewer or a septic system, and whether any past plumbing work has permits behind it. Those five answers decide whether the home can be insured on reasonable terms, whether a large repair is waiting under the floor, and what you should ask the seller before your inspection period runs out.

I am Kris Asquith, Broker Associate at Premiere Plus Realty, and I help buyers and sellers across Bonita Springs and eight other Southwest Florida markets. Bonita Springs has homes from many building eras side by side, from older streets near the Imperial River to newer gated communities east of I-75. A home built in the last few years and one built a few decades ago can look equally polished on a showing, and the plumbing is where the difference often hides, because almost all of it is inside walls or under a concrete slab.

Because insurers ask about it, and some materials make a home harder to insure. Many Florida insurers require a four-point inspection on an older home before they will write a policy, and plumbing is one of the four points, alongside the roof, the electrical system and the air conditioning. The inspector records what the supply pipes are made of and whether there are active leaks. My article on what a four-point inspection covers walks through the full report.

The pipe type that most often causes trouble is polybutylene, a gray plastic supply pipe installed in many homes built from the late 1970s into the mid-1990s. It has a history of failing without warning, and some insurers will not cover a home that still has it, or will only do so on narrower terms. Galvanized steel supply pipe in older homes can corrode from the inside and reduce water pressure over time. Copper, CPVC and PEX are the materials you will usually see in newer homes or in homes that have been repiped. If the listing does not say what the pipes are, ask, and have your inspector confirm it at the water heater, under sinks and in the attic if pipes run there.

They deserve their own look, because a standard home inspection cannot see them. Most Bonita Springs homes sit on a concrete slab, and the drain and sewer lines run underneath it. In older homes those lines are often cast iron, which can corrode and crack from the inside over decades while everything above the floor looks fine. The early signs are slow drains, gurgling, a sewer smell, or recurring backups in the same fixture.

The way to see inside is a sewer line camera inspection, where a plumber runs a camera through the drain lines from a cleanout and records what it finds. It is a separate service from the general home inspection, and on an older home it is worth booking at the same time so both reports arrive inside your inspection window. Ask for the video, not only the summary. If the camera shows heavy scaling, cracks, root intrusion or sections where the pipe has sagged, get a written repair estimate from a licensed plumber before you decide what to do. My article on what a home inspection does and does not cover explains why add-on inspections like this one exist.

Ask early, because the answer changes what you inspect and what you maintain. Much of Bonita Springs is served by central water and sewer, and in much of the city that service comes from Bonita Springs Utilities. Some properties, particularly older ones and those on larger lots, may still use a septic tank and drain field, or a private well. The listing, the seller and the utility that serves the address can confirm which applies.

If the home is on septic, ask the seller for the most recent pump-out and service records, and consider a septic inspection by a licensed septic contractor during your inspection period. Ask too whether the area has a planned conversion to central sewer, since a connection can come with its own costs for the owner at the time. If the home is on a private well, a water quality test is a sensible addition. None of this is a reason to pass on a home; it is information to have before you commit rather than after.

It matters for two reasons: replacement cost and insurance. The manufacture date is usually printed on the data plate on the side of the tank, and your inspector will note it along with any rust, corrosion at the fittings, or water around the base. A water heater near the end of its useful life is a predictable expense, so it is better to know about it while you can still negotiate than to discover it the first month you own the home. Some insurers also ask the age of the water heater when they write a policy, so the four-point report will usually record it.

While the inspector is there, ask them to check the main water shutoff and the individual shutoff valves under sinks and behind toilets, the washing machine supply hoses, and the drain line from the air conditioning air handler. A clogged condensate line is one of the most common sources of water damage in Southwest Florida homes, and it is easy to spot and inexpensive to keep clear.

Whether major work was done properly. Repiping a home, replacing a water heater and replacing a sewer line typically require permits, and the City of Bonita Springs holds the permit history for homes inside its limits. If the seller says the home was repiped, the permit record should show it, with a final inspection. That record is also what you will hand your insurance agent when they ask about the plumbing.

If the record shows nothing but the home clearly has new pipe, ask who did the work and when. Unpermitted work is worth understanding before closing, because you inherit it. A cluster of plumbing and drywall permits after a named storm can also point to water damage worth asking about. My article on checking the permit history before buying in Bonita Springs shows how to read the record line by line, and my article on finding out whether a Bonita Springs home has flooded covers the storm side of the same question.

Often, yes. In a condominium, responsibility for plumbing is usually split between the unit owner and the association, and the split is set by that building's own declaration. Pipes that serve only your unit may be yours, while main stacks and lines inside common walls may belong to the association. The line between the two is not the same in every building, so read the condominium documents rather than assuming.

Ask the association whether the building has had any plumbing projects, such as a repipe or drain line replacement, and whether one is planned, because a building-wide project can lead to a special assessment. The meeting minutes and the reserve schedule are where that usually shows up. My article on milestone inspections for Bonita Springs condos explains the structural side of the same review.

Sort it into three groups: what affects insurability, what is a large repair, and what is routine maintenance. Polybutylene supply pipe, an active leak, or a failing drain line under the slab belong in the first two groups, and they are worth resolving before you commit, whether by asking the seller to repair, adjusting the terms, or getting firm estimates and insurance quotes so you know exactly what you are taking on. A water heater with a few years left or a supply hose that needs replacing is ordinary upkeep. Your contract's inspection terms set how long you have to make those decisions, so book the specialists the day you go under contract. My step-by-step buying process shows where the inspection period falls and what happens next.

If you are selling, gather your repipe permit, water heater receipt and any sewer line work before you list, so a buyer sees an organized record rather than a question. Florida sellers are generally expected to disclose known defects that materially affect a home's value and are not readily visible to a buyer, so a known plumbing problem is better dealt with up front. My page on buying a home in Bonita Springs covers the wider picture, and I am glad to go through the inspection reports on a specific home with you. Get in touch or call (239) 300-1427.

This article is a general overview and is not legal, insurance or plumbing advice about any particular property. Confirm the specifics with a licensed plumber, your home inspector, your insurance agent, a real estate attorney and the City of Bonita Springs.