[sara1315]

My fiancé and I are first time home buyers and are getting close to closing on our first home (townhome). It's a foreclosure and we found out weeks ago that the property wasn't winterized properly and pipes burst in multiple locations throughout the house. It's been a long process, but the sellers have made the necessary repairs to the pipes. We just had our inspection and things looked good. No leaks to report, and the inspector scanned the patched areas to check for high moisture content but found nothing suspicious. The only thing we're concerned about now, is the amount of stress that was on the pipes. There were probably 7-10 bursts throughout the house, so my question is how many places ALMOST burst? Is this a genuine concern, or are we being overly paranoid? Can anyone speak to the likelihood of the entire system needing to be replaced? We love the house and do not want to walk away from it, but replacing an entire plumbing system is not in our home renovation budget.

[hkstroud]

Is this a genuine concern, or are we being overly paranoid?

I don't think you have any real reason to be concerned.

[Mike45plus]

Sara 1315,
I would insist on a water supply piping pressure test before committing to the closing. We often will pressure test the water piping to double ( max 100lbs ) the normal operating range of the piping in properties that have been unoccupied for long periods, especially foreclosures with known damage and repairs.
Home inspections rarely mimic actual daily use / strain on any residential mechanical system. A properly performed pressure test will prove the integrity of any stressed pipe, fittings, connections, faucets, pressure vessels, and fixtures...

[afaroo]

Hello Sara first of all will say congratulation for you first time house byer, second Herald is one of the most experienced person on this website and I agree with him, Third it would not hurt to a pressure test pipes as Mike45plus suggested to make sure that every ting is good, good luck.

John