How to Check Plumbing When Buying a New Home in Westmont, IL

What You Should Check Depends Partly on When the Home Was Built, and Westmont’s Water History Is Unusual

 

Plumbing problems are among the most expensive and disruptive issues a homeowner can inherit, and many of them stay invisible until well after closing. A standard home inspection checks that fixtures run and drains clear, but it won’t tell you the condition of a sewer lateral, the age of a water heater, or whether a pipe material was ever properly identified. In Westmont specifically, there’s an added wrinkle: the village ran its own wells until 1992, when it switched entirely to Lake Michigan water through the DuPage Water Commission, and locally banned lead pipes back in 1972, well ahead of the 1986 federal ban. What that means for you as a buyer depends heavily on when the specific home you’re looking at was actually built. Our licensed Westmont plumbers handle pre-purchase inspections regularly and know exactly what to look for here.

 

Check the Lead Service Line Inventory Before You Even Tour the Home

 

Under Illinois’ Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, every community water supply, including Westmont’s, is required to maintain and report a service line material inventory to the Illinois EPA. Westmont’s local 1972 lead pipe ban is genuinely reassuring news, it’s over a decade ahead of federal action, but that ordinance restricted new installations going forward, it didn’t retroactively replace whatever was already in the ground on older blocks. The Illinois EPA publishes these community-level inventory reports publicly, and while the statewide tool reports at the system level rather than a searchable per-address lookup, it will tell you the general material breakdown across Westmont’s system, useful context before you even schedule a showing. For the specific address you’re considering, ask your agent or the Village’s Community Development Department whether that individual home has a documented service line material on file. It’s a five-minute question that can save you from a five-figure surprise.

 

It’s also worth understanding what “unknown” means on these inventories, since it comes up often. State law requires water systems to report a service line as lead, galvanized requiring replacement, non-lead, or unknown, and an unknown classification isn’t a clean bill of health, it means the material simply hasn’t been physically verified yet. If the home you’re considering shows as unknown rather than confirmed non-lead, that’s still worth a direct question, not an assumption in your favor.

 

If the Home Predates 1992: What Extra Diligence Looks Like

 

A home built before Westmont’s switch to Lake Michigan water had its original plumbing installed under one water supply and has been operating under a different one for over three decades since. That’s not automatically a problem, but it does mean the home’s pipe material and condition are worth confirming directly rather than assuming based on the neighborhood or the listing photos. Ask when the water heater was last replaced, whether any sections of supply line have been updated, and whether the seller has documentation from any prior plumbing work. A seller who can answer these questions confidently is telling you something useful. One who can’t is telling you something too.

 

DIY Checks Before You Even Call a Plumber

 

Look for leaks and water stains. Check under sinks, around tubs and toilets, and near the water heater. Watermarks on walls, flooring, or ceilings, and bubbling or peeling wallpaper, are all signs worth asking about.

 

Check for mold. Musty odors and visible mold under sinks, in basements, crawl spaces, or attics often point to a hidden leak nearby, not just a ventilation issue.

 

Inspect exposed pipes. Look for corrosion, rust, or obviously outdated materials like lead or galvanized steel. If you spot them, our guide to home repiping covers what replacing an entire system’s pipe material actually involves and costs.

 

Do a water meter test. Turn off every faucet in the house, note the meter reading, wait 5 to 10 minutes, and check again. Movement means a hidden leak somewhere in the system.

 

Check water pressure. Run two fixtures at once. A significant drop that recovers when you shut one off points to undersized or corroded supply lines.

 

Ask about the water heater’s age and check for rust or corrosion at the tank and connecting pipes, and confirm hot water reaches every fixture at a reasonable temperature.

 

The Expansion Tank Check Most Buyers Skip

 

Illinois Plumbing Code Section 890.1130(g)(7) requires an expansion tank on a water heater when the home’s water service is a closed system with a check valve or backflow preventer, and Westmont’s inspectors check for this specifically during permitted work. If you’re touring a home and the water heater is missing an expansion tank it should have, that’s not automatically a crisis, plenty of existing installations predate stricter enforcement, but it is a real, negotiable finding. It tells you the next water heater service call is likely to require additional work the seller never budgeted for, and it’s worth factoring into your offer rather than discovering during your own first appointment with a plumber.

 

What a Professional Pre-Purchase Inspection Actually Adds

 

A licensed plumber’s pre-purchase assessment goes well beyond what you can check yourself. A hydrostatic pressure test finds hidden leaks in the supply system. A smoke test identifies improper connections in the drainage system that wouldn’t otherwise show up. A full sewer camera inspection shows the physical condition of the lateral, root intrusion, offset joints, sediment, before you’re the one responsible for fixing it. Our broader guide to sewer camera inspections as a buyer’s safety net covers why this specific check matters so much during a purchase. This is exactly the kind of finding a camera inspection is built to catch: on one Westmont job, a camera inspection revealed a damaged cast iron section under the sidewalk, work that ended up requiring excavation, a new cleanout, and replacing the concrete slab once it was addressed. Finding that before closing is a negotiation. Finding it after is just a bill with your name on it. Our Chicago-area sewer line repair cost breakdown puts a camera inspection at roughly $200 to $400, a small number next to what the repair itself, or a renegotiated deal, can cost once you actually know what you’re dealing with. Based on what the inspection finds, you’re in a position to renegotiate, request repairs, or walk away, rather than finding out after closing.

 

If You’re the One Selling, the Same Logic Runs in Reverse

 

A buyer’s inspection finding a problem doesn’t just cost the buyer time, it costs the seller leverage, timing, and often money once it’s discovered mid-negotiation instead of before listing. Sellers who get a sewer camera inspection done before putting a Westmont home on the market get to address issues on their own schedule and their own contractor’s pricing, rather than a buyer’s inspector finding it and a deal suddenly hinging on a repair negotiated under time pressure. It also gives you something concrete to hand a buyer’s agent proactively: documented proof the line is sound, which can be worth more in a competitive listing than most cosmetic staging.

 

Don’t Skip the Flood History Question

 

Westmont experienced a genuinely significant flooding event in 2013 that changed how the village and many homeowners think about private-side drainage responsibility, and some pockets of the village, including areas near Twin Lakes Golf Club, are more prone to stormwater runoff than others. If you’re seriously considering a specific home, ask directly about its flooding history and whether it has any backflow prevention or flood control system already installed. Our complete guide to flood control and plumbing in Westmont covers what changed after 2013 and what every homeowner needs to know about their private-side responsibility in detail.

 

Quick Answers

 

Is a professional plumbing inspection worth it if I’m already getting a standard home inspection?
Yes. A general home inspector checks visible, accessible components. They don’t run a camera through your sewer lateral or pressure test the supply system, which is exactly where the expensive surprises tend to hide.

 

How do I find out if a specific Westmont address has a lead service line?
Ask your real estate agent to request the Village’s service line inventory record for that address, or contact Westmont’s Community Development Department directly. The Illinois EPA also publishes system-level inventory reports publicly if you want the broader context first.

 

What does it mean if a home’s service line is listed as “unknown”?
It means the material hasn’t been physically verified yet, not that it’s confirmed safe. Treat an unknown classification as a reason to ask more questions, not as reassurance.

 

What should I do if the inspection finds a problem?
You have options: negotiate a repair credit, ask the seller to fix it before closing, or walk away if the issue is serious enough. Having the actual findings in hand, not just a verbal concern, is what makes any of those conversations possible.

 

I’m selling my Westmont home. Should I get an inspection before listing?
It’s worth strongly considering. Addressing a real issue on your own timeline and budget beats having a buyer’s inspector find it mid-negotiation, and documented proof the line is sound can be a genuine selling point.

 

How much does a pre-purchase plumbing inspection actually cost?
A standard camera inspection runs roughly $200 to $400. Compared to the cost of an undiagnosed sewer or water line problem discovered after closing, it’s one of the cheapest forms of due diligence available in a home purchase.

 

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Suburban Plumbing Sewer Line & Drain Cleaning Experts
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