Residential Structural Certifications & Environmental Testing
Spring Hill, FL 34609 (Hernando Co.)
(352) 556-7187

Supply Pipes Inspections
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If you've ever seen water gushing from a fire hydrant, you have some idea of the pressure moving the water along.

A main supply pipe connected to the water company's main or to a well on your own property supplies water to your house. Once the water arrives at your house, the main supply divides into one system of pipes for cold water and another for hot water. Parallel hot and cold water pipes slope slightly so the pipes can be drained at the lowest points through a valve or faucet.

Waste drainage systems take advantage of gravity to channel waste to the sewer line. The soil stack, a vertical run of pipe three to four inches in diameter, carries waste to a main drain usually underneath the house, which empties to a sewer or septic tank.
 
Vents prevent sewer gases from seeping into your house, while traps—water-filled bends in pipes—keep gases from escaping up the drain. Vents branch off below the soil stacks while gases vent through the roof. Plumbing generally is vented with a main vent stack, or there may be a vent stack for each fixture, if fixtures are widely separated.

Identifying Pipes
A pipe's size and material can serve as a fairly good indicator of its function. White plastic, copper, and galvanized (silver-toned) pipes smaller than 1 inch in diameter generally carry water, though some galvanized steel, black steel, and flexible copper pipes of the same sizes may carry gas. Large-diameter (1 1/2 inch and larger) black plastic, cast-iron, and copper are often drain, waste, or vent pipes.

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