Old houses are full of charm and originality, offering homeowners the chance to own a unique piece of history they can call home! From intricate woodwork to vintage features and architectural details, there’s a lot to love about owning a historic home. However, all that character comes with old-school features that are not as endearing – galvanized pipes, cast iron drains, and dated plumbing systems.
Oftentimes, the plumbing in an old home is as original as the hardwood floors or crown molding, but with hidden problems just waiting to cause trouble. Aging plumbing components are prone to corrosion, clogs, and leaks. What many historic home residents find is when the time comes to call a plumber they are left with service professionals unequipped or untrained to handle these older systems.
Call Ellen First! She’s Got a Guy!
Ellen has a trusted service pro for any project or problem an old home may have. When it comes to anything relating to plumbing, Ellen always trusts the job with Jesse Morgan! Jesse is a fourth-generation plumber with over 25 years of experience. Ellen has worked with Jesse and his father Steven Morgan since she first became a realtor.
Recently, Jesse completed a major plumbing refit for a friend of Ellen’s. The homeowner had been dealing with low water pressure issues and rust-colored water in the second-floor primary bathroom that made it unusable. Several plumbers had come to inspect the issue over the years but always left without finding the right solution.
The culprit causing the low water pressure and rusty water was the home’s 60+-year-old galvanized pipes. Over time, rust and minerals had nearly completely blocked water from traveling through the pipe. To solve the problem, Jesse installed and connected new water lines from the basement to the second floor. In addition to the galvanized pipes, the valves also needed to be replaced as they were beginning to leak after decades of use. Once Jesse was done, the primary bathroom was not only back in working order – it was better than ever!
With the primary bathroom complete, Jesse helped replace a troublesome drain in the second-floor hall bathroom as well. The bathroom had an old p-trap drain known as a drum trap. These were commonplace in older homes and were installed to prevent sewer odors from entering the home by trapping a small amount of water in the drain to block the fumes. They work well at trapping smells, but they trap a lot of other things, too. This, combined with their age, can lead to damaging leaks. The homeowner had unfortunately experienced this, waking up one morning to find a leak coming through his main floor ceiling directly below the hall bathroom. The old drum trap wasn’t easy to access as it had been installed below the bathtub. Through an access panel hidden in the back of a nearby closet, Jesse was able to replace the old drum trap with a newer, more reliable drain.
When it comes to plumbing in an older home, homeowners don’t have time or money to waste on inexperienced plumbers! Trust the job to Ellen’s go-to guy, Jesse Morgan!
