Plumbing Inspection in Bahama, NC

How the call and visit go

We'll connect you with an independent plumber who covers northern Durham County. Tell them the property is in Bahama, whether it's on a private well, and roughly how old the house is. If it's a purchase, give them the end date of your due-diligence period.

At the house the plumber normally checks the well's pressure tank and switch, any filters or softener, water pressure and flow, each fixture, exposed supply and drain lines, shutoff valves, and the water heater. If you ask, they can also camera the drain line from the house toward the onsite system's tank.

Cost factors

• Including the well equipment and any water treatment system
• Camera work on the line out to the tank
• House size and the number of bathrooms
• Access in older crawl spaces and outbuildings
• Gas piping checks on propane appliances

Bahama specifics

Bahama is an unincorporated crossroads village in northern Durham County, about 13 miles from downtown Durham, with 19th- and early-20th-century farmhouses along Bahama Road and the historic village district. Lake Michie sits nearby, but it supplies City of Durham customers; the City generally requires annexation and a utility extension agreement before serving a property, so most rural Bahama homes use their own wells and onsite wastewater systems. Durham County Environmental Health permits, inspects and tests private wells and permits onsite systems.

County well data are worth knowing before you buy. UNC Gillings found that 38% of tested Durham County wells exceeded the EPA manganese advisory, about 23% the iron advisory and about 2% the lead action level, so a lab test should go with the plumbing inspection.

Heating and hot water look different here too. ACS-based figures for ZIP 27503 show only about 0.7% of homes heating with utility gas, against about 35% on propane and 62% on electricity, so expect electric or propane water heaters.

Reliable year-built figures for Bahama weren't available, so judge pipe age house by house.

Before the plumber arrives

• Locate the well head, pressure tank and main shutoff
• Find any well or onsite system permits and service records
• Note the propane tank location and supplier