How Old is your Bathroom Plumbing?

It wasn’t all that long ago that indoor bathroom plumbing was a luxury rather than the common place feature most people in this country consider it to be today. Older residents in the Bay Area may even remember a time when answering nature’s call in the middle of the night meant bundling up for a trip outside to an out-house that was built for function rather than comfort.
As you can imagine, indoor plumbing was enthusiastically embraced and homeowners rushed to convert bedrooms into bathrooms that featured tubs, sinks, and a new item called a toilet. At first only the well-to-do could afford the conversion, but after a few years many Bay Area homeowners could boast of having indoor bathrooms converted from bedrooms in their attached and detached homes.
In the rush to make out-houses a distant memory many questionable plumbing techniques were used, but with indoor plumbing being so new — few people knew they were questionable at the time. Many types of materials were also used that were later found to be not necessarily the best choices for carrying water and waste underground or through the hidden ceiling and wall cavities of homes. Over time some of those older materials have begun to decay and gradual leaks develop that may take months or even years to become evident. All the blame can’t be placed on the past — even some more modern materials such as Quest piping have had problems if connections were improperly made.
If you live in an older Bay Area home, ask Cabrillo to inspect your ancient bathroom plumbing — spending a little now may save a lot later.