Home Age Systems Checker

Enter the year your house was built and see which systems are past their typical life and which era materials a pro will check for, from galvanized pipe to aluminum wiring.

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Year the house was built

Plumbing · who to call: plumber

past typical life Tank water heater: 66 years old if original, past the typical 6 to 12 years. Failure is a question of when, not whether. A plumber reads the date code on the label, checks the anode rod and looks for rust at the bottom seam and the fittings.
Galvanized steel supply pipes (before 1960): Galvanized pipe rusts from the inside, so water pressure falls off over the years and the water runs rusty after a shut-off. It can leak while looking fine from the outside. A plumber checks the pipe where it enters the house, tests pressure at the far taps and looks for a lead service line on a house this old.
Cast-iron drain lines (before 1975): Cast-iron drains corrode along the bottom of the pipe and channel through after 50 to 60 years. The first sign is usually a slow drain or a sewer smell. A plumber runs a camera through the main drain, which shows what a surface look cannot.
Orangeburg sewer line (1945 to 1972): Orangeburg pipe is tar-coated wood fiber. It goes oval under the soil and lets roots in, and nearly every run still in the ground is past its design life. A plumber runs a camera down the sewer lateral to see what it is made of and whether it has deformed.

Electrical · who to call: electrician

past typical life Electrical service panel: 66 years old if original, past the typical 40 to 60 years. Failure is a question of when, not whether. An electrician reads the brand and rating on the label, checks the bus for heat damage and confirms the service size fits the house.
Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel (1950 to 1980): Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers failed some of the tests CPSC ran in the early 1980s, and the concern is a breaker that does not trip on an overload. Zinsco panels of the same era draw the same attention from inspectors. An electrician reads the panel label and looks at the breaker bus for heat marks.
Ungrounded two-slot outlets (before 1962): Wiring from before the early 1960s often has no ground wire, so three-prong outlets added later can look right and still give a surge protector or a grounded appliance nothing to use. An electrician tests outlets for a real ground and checks how any three-prong outlets were added.

Heating & cooling · who to call: HVAC tech

past typical life Central air conditioner: 66 years old if original, past the typical 7 to 15 years. Failure is a question of when, not whether. An HVAC tech reads the outdoor unit label, checks the refrigerant type and tests the capacitor and compressor draw.
past typical life Furnace: 66 years old if original, past the typical 15 to 25 years. Failure is a question of when, not whether. An HVAC tech inspects the heat exchanger for cracks, the igniter and the flue, which is the check that matters most on an older unit.

Roof · who to call: roofer

Whole house · who to call: home inspector or licensed abatement pro

Asbestos materials (before 1980): Asbestos shows up in duct wrap, pipe insulation, floor tile, siding and textured ceilings. Left alone it stays put; cutting or drilling releases it. A licensed pro tests a sample before any of it is disturbed for a repair.
Lead paint (before 1978): Lead paint was sold for homes until 1978 and sits under newer coats. Sanding or scraping releases it, which is why work on older homes follows federal lead-safe rules. A certified pro tests before any painted surface is disturbed.

Typical service lives and era windows, not an inspection. A local pro for each trade can tell you what is actually in the house.

Data: InterNACHI Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart · CPSC Pub. 516 (aluminum wiring) · EPA (lead paint 1978 ban, asbestos bans) · Census ACS 5-year B25034/B25035 (town housing age) · Updated September 2026

How the checker reads a build year

Typical life, not a verdict

Each system has a typical service life from the InterNACHI life-expectancy chart: a tank water heater lasts about 6 to 12 years, a central AC 7 to 15, a furnace 15 to 25, an asphalt roof 15 to 30 and a service panel 40 to 60. The checker compares those ranges with the age of the house, assuming the original equipment unless you say it was replaced.

Era risks come from the build year

Some materials were standard for a stretch of years and then dropped: galvanized supply pipe before 1960, Orangeburg sewer pipe from 1945 to 1972, aluminum branch wiring from 1965 to 1973, polybutylene from 1978 to 1995, lead paint before 1978. A house built inside a window may never have had the material, and one outside it may have picked it up in a remodel, so each line says what a pro checks rather than what is wrong.

What to do with the list

Take it to the pro for that trade. A plumber can run a camera through a drain line in an hour; an electrician can tell aluminum from copper at the panel in minutes. Knowing the era of the house lets them look in the right places first.

Common questions

How long does a water heater last?

A conventional tank water heater typically lasts 6 to 12 years; tankless units 10 to 20 with regular descaling. Hard water and a never-replaced anode rod push a tank toward the low end.

What should be inspected in a 1970s house?

The usual suspects are cast-iron drains at the end of their life, an Orangeburg sewer lateral if built before 1973, aluminum branch wiring from 1965 to 1973, a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, asbestos in duct wrap or floor tile, and lead paint under newer coats.

Does the checker know what is actually in my house?

No. It works from the build year and typical lifespans, so it tells you what is likely and what a pro will look for. Only an inspection tells you what is there.

Where does the town figure come from?

From the Census American Community Survey, which reports how many homes in each place were built in each decade. The share built before 1980 is the quick read on how many houses carry these era risks.

Should an original electrical panel be checked?

Yes, if the house was built between 1950 and 1980. Age matters less than brand: an electrician reads the label and checks the breaker bus, and a panel type that inspectors flag gets replaced no matter how it looks.

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