Plumbing Inspection in Garner, NC

Are Garner homes older than the rest of inner Wake?

Yes. About 28% of Garner homes were built before 1980, per Census survey data, a much bigger share than Cary at about 12%, Apex around 4% or Knightdale around 6%. The median home is from 2001, so Garner has both a sizable older layer and plenty of newer subdivisions. In older houses near the Downtown Garner Historic District and along the town's original streets, plumbers commonly find galvanized supply pipe, cast iron drains and older water heaters tucked into crawl spaces. In newer homes, the findings tend to be install details and wear: a water heater without a drain pan, a missing expansion tank, loose fittings behind the washer or a shower valve that has started to drip.

Who is responsible for which lines?

The City of Raleigh owns and operates the water and sewer systems in Garner's service area, and Garner sewer flow goes to Raleigh's Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility. Raleigh maintains the water line up to the property line; from there to the house is the owner's responsibility. The private sewer lateral between the house and the public main also belongs to the owner, which is why a camera run is worth adding on an older home.

Raleigh Water's backflow program applies too. Most homes have a non-testable dual check in the meter box, and a residential irrigation assembly needs testing every three years by July 1. The water comes partly from Lake Benson right here in Garner, along with Falls Lake, and it's soft, about 25 ppm hardness, with chloramine most of the year and a spring chlorine-only period.

How do I check permits on past work?

The Town of Garner Inspections Department handles plumbing and building permits through its online Permit and Inspection Portal; paper applications are no longer accepted. If the seller replaced a water heater or rerouted plumbing during a remodel, you can ask whether a permit was pulled. Outlying unincorporated 27529 homes may be on private wells, which also changes what an inspection should cover.

One local note

Garner gets its gas from Enbridge Gas North Carolina, formerly PSNC, where it's available on the street. If you smell gas at a property, leave and call 911 or Enbridge's emergency line, 1-877-776-2427, from outside.