Remember the days when you just turned on the water in your apartment, or parent’s house, and didn’t really have to think about where the water was coming from? Even better, if it happened not to come out of the faucet, you just let your landlord know or your parents, and magically it ended up getting fixed. You didn’t need to know where the plumbing pipes were. Good times, right?
Now you own your own place! Congrats! It’s important to learn about the inner workings of your home, including what types of pipes are in the walls and ceilings, and sometimes floors, in your house. Knowing where these types of plumbing pipes are in case you need to tell a plumber where to find them.
Where to Find Plumbing Pipes Inside Your House
You don’t have to necessarily know how to fix your plumbing pipes, but you should know where all your pipes are located inside of your home. Knowing where your plumbing is located helps when you start hearing weird noises, or see something leaking, or need to turn your water off. So let’s give a little overview of which rooms and areas plumbing pipes run through your house.
Bathroom Plumbing
Bathrooms are one of the most plumbed areas of a house. You’ll find your bathroom sink’s supply and waste pipes hidden in a cabinet under the sink. Super visible and easy to find. However, your shower will have its supply pipes behind the walls, but the drainpipe comes out from the wall and extends into the floor and ends in a drain hole.
A toilet’s plumbing pipes are relatively easy to locate. Behind the tank there’s a water supply pipe that comes out from the wall and enters the toilet tank. Beneath the toilet there’s a waste drain, but you can only “see it” if you remove the toilet from the floor. Just know that it’s there, no need to look!
If your toilet is acting up and the water rises instead of it lowering when you flush, you can turn the water off right at the back of the toilet. A handle sits on the pipe behind the toilet, usually close to the floor.
Kitchen Plumbing
Another amazing amount of plumbing happens in the kitchen. Most kitchens have a sink, and some have garbage disposals and dishwashers. There are even some people that have water and ice running through their fridge. You may even have a special faucet to fill pots of water by your stovetop.
Normally, you’ll only be able to see the plumbing pipes going to your sink and garbage disposal. Those pipes will be under your kitchen sink, usually hidden in a cabinet. If you have a dishwasher, you’ll find your supply and waste pipes for your dishwasher located under your sink. Depending on where your fridge is, you’ll probably find a cold water connection to your ice-maker and water dispenser.
Basement Plumbing
Hot water tanks, along with washing machines are often located in a basement. Unless you’re super lucky and your laundry is right near your bedrooms making life easier for everyone to do laundry.
If your basement is not finished, most of your pipes will be visible along your ceiling and down the walls. If your basement is finished, they still run along the ceiling and down the walls, but will be hidden behind drywall.
Exterior Plumbing Pipe Location
Not every house has a pool, or an in-ground sprinkler system. However, most houses have outdoor spigots, and those pipes are in the walls of your house with the main shut-off valve inside your house. It’s helpful to know where these pipes are to avoid frozen pipes.
If you do have a sprinkler system or swimming pool, or both, check out where you’ll be able to find the plumbing pipes for these.
Sprinkler Systems
Your sprinkler system will be located underground and connected to your house. It could be built into the home’s main water supply service line, or a valve connects it to an outdoor faucet. Usually easy to locate, but if you can’t find it, give your favorite plumber a call to help suss it out.
Swimming Pools
When you have an in-ground pool it needs drains in order to remove dirt and debris. Usually they can be found on the floor of the pool. Pool plumbing is normally set up independently from a house’s plumbing and much of what isn’t in the ground is found near the pool.
Heaters, pumps, and the pool’s entire filtration system and plumbing system should be easily found under some kind of structure keeping it safe from the elements.
We Can Help With All of Your Plumbing Pipe Problems
Whether you run into a major plumbing emergency, or a minor one, you should always familiarize yourself with where your house’s main shut-off valve is. It’s important to know where the shut-off valves are for each of your plumbing fixtures, too. You’ll likely lessen the damage caused by a pipe leaking, or a toilet overflowing, if you can quickly shut off the water before you call your plumber.
We can help with any large-scale, or small-scale plumbing issues you experience at your house. Keep our number handy and reach out any time day, or night.