Plumbing problems are among the most expensive surprises in homeownership — and among the most preventable. A twenty-minute look at the right places during a home inspection can reveal thousands of dollars in upcoming pipe work, or confirm that a home's plumbing is solid for decades. This section is written for buyers, sellers, owners and working inspectors alike.
It is also the section closest to this website's origins. abspipes.com began in the late 1990s as the official claim site for the ABS pipe class-action lawsuit — a $73.6 million settlement over defective ABS drain pipe installed in homes built between the mid-1980s and 1990. Home inspectors and real-estate professionals linked to our pipe-identification guides for years, and many still do. We have rebuilt those resources here, updated for today's homeowners.
What inspectors look for in plumbing
A standard home inspection covers visible supply and drain lines, water heaters, fixtures and functional flow — not what is inside walls. Inspectors check pipe material and condition where accessible (basements, crawlspaces, under sinks), look for active leaks, corrosion, improper supports and amateur modifications, and test every fixture. Our ABS pipe lawsuit explainer and pipe-failure guides translate those professional observations into plain language so you can read your own inspection report with confidence.
For buyers and sellers
Buyers: if the inspection flags old ABS, cast iron or polybutylene pipe, do not panic — get a plumber's quote for replacement and use it in negotiation. Pipe material alone is rarely a dealbreaker; documented active problems are. Sellers: proactively replacing a visibly failing section of drain pipe or a 15-year-old water heater removes two of the most common inspection objections before they happen.
For homeowners staying put
You do not need to wait for an inspection to catch pipe problems. Gurgling drains, slow drainage in multiple fixtures, sewer odors and recurring clogs in the same line are the early warnings of drain system trouble — each has a guide in our DIY section or pipe guides. Catching a failing section early is the difference between a $300 repair and a $3,000 emergency.