Plumbing for Realtors, Home Buyers & Sellers

When a home inspection flags plumbing, it is usually Poly B, an old hot water tank, a leak or a question about the sewer line. Flowest Plumbing Heating Drainage Ltd is a family-owned, father-and-son plumbing company based in Langley, BC, and we give buyers, sellers and their realtors a straight answer and a quote: what needs doing now, what can wait, and what it will cost.

We work across Langley, White Rock, South Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and you deal directly with the people doing the work.

What inspections usually flag, and what we do about it

Poly B supply pipe

Grey plastic pipe stamped PB2110, common in BC homes built from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. It can fail with little warning and some insurers ask about it, so it comes up in a lot of sales. We replace the whole system with PEX run to a manifold, with a labelled shut-off for every fixture. Last year we repiped about five rancher homes in White Rock alone. How we replace Poly B

An old or non-compliant hot water tank

Inspectors flag tanks near the end of their life, rust at the base, water in the drain pan, or missing seismic strapping or an expansion tank. We can tell your client whether it needs replacing now or just needs bringing up to code, and quote either one. Hot water tank replacement

Active leaks, stains and seized shut-offs

A drip under a sink, a stain on a ceiling, or a main shut-off that will not turn. We find where the water is actually coming from and fix it, rather than guessing from the stain. Leak detection and repair

The sewer line nobody can see

The line from the house to the city connection is usually the owner’s responsibility, and a general inspection cannot see inside it. We can run a camera down the line to check for roots, cracked joints and sags, so your client knows what they are buying. Drain and sewer services

Galvanized steel or other old supply lines

Older homes can still have galvanized steel lines that corrode from the inside, which shows up as low pressure and discoloured water. They are replaced the same way as Poly B. Pipe repairs and repiping

Listing a home: deal with it before a buyer’s inspector does

If you already know a listing has Poly B or a tired hot water tank, it is easier to handle it before the home goes on the market than to negotiate it after an inspection. Your seller can fix it, or at least have a plumber’s quote ready, so the buyer is looking at a known number instead of an open question.

Representing a buyer: a real number to work with

When the inspection report comes back with plumbing items, your client needs to know what they are actually looking at. We come out, look at what the inspector flagged, and tell your client plainly what needs doing now, what can wait, and what it will cost to fix. If you have a subject removal date, tell us when you call so we can say honestly whether we can get there in time.

How we work with your clients

Your name is on the referral, so how we treat your client matters. Here is what they can expect:

• A straight answer. If something can wait a few years, we say so.
• A quote before any work starts, so nothing on the final bill is a surprise.
• They deal directly with the owners. The work is done by a Red Seal journeyman plumber with 30 years in the trade and a fourth-year apprentice, father and son.
• Flowest Plumbing Heating Drainage Ltd carries $5 million in commercial general liability insurance.
• Clean, professional installs.

Where we work

White Rock and South Surrey, Langley (including Walnut Grove, Brookswood and Murrayville), Surrey, Cloverdale, Aldergrove and Abbotsford. Many homes in these areas were built in the years when Poly B was standard.

Worth sending to your buyers

• Buying an older home? A five-point plumbing checklist
• Poly B pipes: should you replace them?
• What does it cost to replace a hot water tank in BC?
• How to shut off the water main (every new owner should know)