Your Roof, HVAC, and Plumbing—The Three Most Expensive Home Systems

The three most costly items in your home to repair or replace are your roof, your heating and AC system, and your plumbing. Proper but minimal maintenance and infrequent inspections of your roof will often keep leaks out and maintain comfort for years. With the right insurance and a lucky hail storm or some wind damage, your roof may even be replaced—minus the cost of a homeowner’s deductible.

Your heating and cooling system is a bit more complex but still manageable if you perform affordable preventative maintenance throughout its lifespan. Even when your system nears the end of its life, a trusty HVAC technician can often patch it together to keep it running or limping along. While it may not be the leader in efficiency, it keeps you comfortable until you can afford a replacement. Tools like mini-splits, window units, and space heaters make it possible to stay comfortable in the short term if your system finally bites the dust.

How Your Plumbing System Affects Every Aspect of Your Home

Your plumbing system impacts almost every area of your home. When it’s working properly, you may go years without lifting a plunger. But when your plumbing is compromised, it can stop you in your tracks and make your home uninhabitable. Like anything in life, even if you do everything right, external factors can wreak havoc on your plumbing system without your knowledge.
A plumbing system may include water heaters, dishwashers, garbage disposals, showers, toilets, and sometimes refrigerators and sprinkler systems. It also includes pipes in your walls, under your floors, and above your ceiling.

Small Leaks Are Clues To Bigger Problems

Small plumbing issues may inconvenience you, but they don’t always make life unmanageable. However, serious issues—such as water leaks, burst pipes, or clogged sewage systems—can cause damage to your home and peace of mind.Small leaks may cause wood rot, mold growth, or structural collapse over time, while large leaks could flood your home, leading to extensive damage. More dangerous issues like sewage backups could expose your home to hazardous gases and raw sewage, leading to severe damage to your property and belongings.

The Hidden Dangers in Your Soil: Roots and Corrosion

Many homes, especially those built before 1980, were constructed on farmland or near orchards. This is relevant because fertilizers used in agriculture may have leached into the soil, accelerating the corrosion of your cast iron pipes. Cast iron pipes typically last between 80–100 years, but this process can severely reduce their lifespan, leading to cracks, leaks, and even collapse.

Similarly, tree roots are a major cause of damage to older plumbing systems. When pipes shift and crack from ground settling, tiny tree roots can intrude into the pipes, searching for water. When it is extremely dry outside, those living roots chase a never-ending supply of water which is always flowing through your underground sewerage system. Over time, these roots do what they do best… feed, drink, and grow inside your pipes, eventually causing blockages that lead to sewage backups.

How Does Such a Problem Seem to Happen Overnight: Picture This

Imagine placing a tightly stitched knit cover over a pipe and trying to pour a bucket of water mixed with toilet paper and modeling clay through that pipe. The water will eventually flow through and out but the solids and paper are going to get caught and form a dam that gets harder and harder for the water to get through.
Add grease, hair, and the notorious wipes to the mix and you have basically built an impenetrable plug in your sewerage line. Every time you flush, you are building the dam bigger and stronger and are silently adding to the problem.
Plumbing Failure Impacts: Not Just Your Sinks
Eventually, your washing machine may back up and the kitchen sink won’t drain, then you flush, and your toilet contents come back up in your bathtub or shower. Time to call the professional! You take off work to meet them when they can get to your problem.
You, your time, and your pocketbook are at the mercy of the licensed professional. In the meantime, you must go to a neighbor or family member’s home to shower, brush your teeth, and use the facilities. You can forget cooking, doing laundry, or even washing your hands. Normal life at home has come to an abrupt halt!

Your Pipes Could Be Compromised

This problem may be able to be temporarily remedied by a professional plumber from a clean-out if you have one installed at your home. The professional accomplishes this using a commercial sewer auger, jet wash, acid, or any combination.
If these issues are compounded with shifted pipes, partial or whole collapse, the only solution may be a partial re-route or complete sewerage system replacement. There is no way to know how long a temporary remedy may last but the key word is temporary if your pipes have already been compromised.

Preventative Plumbing Maintenance: Your Best Defense

So how can you maintain something you can’t see? How do you take charge of your plumbing system when it’s hidden underground or behind walls? By allowing licensed plumbers, like our professionals at Plumber For Hire in the Shreveport-Bossier area, to perform a free plumbing inspection, you can prevent major failures before they happen. Our team will visually inspect your external plumbing components for signs of wear, damage, and inefficiency.
Additionally, we offer advanced sewer inspections using HD camera systems to check for cracks, root intrusions, or potential issues. This service is not only affordable but can save homeowners thousands in cleanup and repair costs by identifying problems before they escalate.

Let Us Stop the Problem Before the Problem Stops You!

Don’t wait until it’s too late—call Plumber For Hire today at 318-709-9090 to schedule your free visible plumbing inspection, free estimate, or HD camera service.