Anyone selling a house in Cape Town must not only provide the buyer with an electrical compliance certificate but will also have to get a certificate from a certified plumber stating that the plumbing in the property is sound and in good working condition.
According to Anton du Plessis of Vineyard Estates, plumbing certification has become law and will be enforced by city officials. He says that without the compliance certificates the sales process will be delayed.
He says that homeowners who are thinking of putting a property on the market can conduct a few basic checks to ensure that the plumbing system is sound.
Du Plessis says that all the taps in the house and garden should be firmly shut off and that toilets should not be used for about 15 minutes to ensure that they are full.
Then, the homeowner should check the water meter at the start of an hour and, 60 minutes later check it again. If the water meter has moved it indicates that there is a leak on the property and a plumber will have to be called in to find and seal the leak.
He advised homeowners to also check that the water meter is running correctly. To do this, a standard 10-litre bucket should be filled with water and the meter checked to ensure that it moves by one digit (as most metres reflect 10-litre increments).
If it moves by more or less than that the metre is not accurate and should be reported to the council.
Du Plessis says that the City of Cape Town is concerned that private houses are discharging waste-water into the storm water drainage system, posing a health hazard for all residents.
A spokesman for the council points out that the storm-water system is not able to handle organic material such as food particles and these decay, causing the health hazards.
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