There are several bathroom items that should be checked during a home inspection. Does the bathroom door close and latch? Is there a window in the bathroom for ventilation? Is there a ceiling or wall ventilation fan? Is the fan noisy?

Check the walls, ceiling, and floor for signs of high moisture. Look for mildew staining under the water closet, beside the tub, at the joint between the surround and the tub rim, and on the ceiling. Check also for peeling and flaking paint, excessive condensation, and swolen or sagging ceiling and wall panels.

Bathroom Plumbing

Check the toilet bowl for cracks and holes. Lift the tank lid and see if there is water in the tank. If there is no water or if there is antifreeze in the tank in the bowl, you cannot flush the toilet. If the water is on, however, and there are no cracks or holes in the bowl, flush the toilet. Note the action of the flush lever. Check around the joint between the tank and the bowl for leaks. Look carefully at the floor around the bowl base. Is water running out onto the floor? Watch the water enter the bowl during the flush. Does it run rapidly out of the bowl or does the level rise up first and then slowly subside? Listen to the water refilling the tank. Carefully lift the tank cover and observe how the water enters the tank. Is the tank refilling in a controlled manner or is water spraying uncontrollably out of the top of the fill valve? Wait for the tank to fill. Did the ball cock seat properly or does the toilet keep running for a long time?

Operate the faucets at the bathroom sink. Make sure that the hot water control is toward the left and the cold water control toward the right. Check faucet hot/cold polarity in the bathtub and shower also. Check the water flow from the faucets at the sink while the bathtub is filling and while it is not. Does flow from either fixture reduce flow from the other? Is there any leakage coming from the faucets? Valve stem packing frequently develops leakage.

Under the sink, check for corrosion on the hot and cold supply pipes as well as on the drain pipe. While the water is on, take a look under the sink for leakage from the hot and cold pipes, the drain pipe, and the trap. Check the orientation of the drain trap. Occasionally, I find a trap installed upside down with no water block! In one house, I found all of the traps installed with the drain plug on top of the trap!

The sink drain plug mechanism should work smoothly. Some older ones I have found would not operate at all. I have found some relatively new sink drains that would not stay closed. Check the operation of the bathtub drain plug mechanism too.

When the shower is switched on, does water still come out of the tub spigot?

If you can close the drain plugs, run some water into the tub and sink. Open the drain and see how long it takes for the water to drain out. Tub and sink drains frequently become plugged with soap residue and hair. The tub drain in my house occasionally becomes so completely plugged that I have to take the drain plug lever base off and lift out and clean the actuating rod coil.

Gurgling while the water is running out of the sink or tub can indicate that the drain or trap is partially obstructed and needs to be cleaned.

Later on, while you are inspecting the basement, check under the bathrooms to make sure that there are no leaks from plumbing drains you just tested in the bathrooms.

After you have tested the fixtures, take a look at the tub/shower surround. Is it ceramic tile, masonite, molded plastic unit or insert, steel, or glass? Check the tile adhesion all around the edges, particularly around the faucets and showerhead. Are there any loose, missing, or cracked tiles? What is the condition of caulk sealant around the edges? What about the backing board behind the tiles? Is the steel showerstall rusted around the base? How about the condition of the molded plastic shower/bathtub/surround surface? Are there any cracks? How about dings from contact with a sharp object? Any holes? On porcelain fixtures, are there any dings in the porcelain surface? Is the porcelain tub cast iron underneath or sheet metal?

Check the condition of the floor around the water closet base and alongside the bathtub. Stand straddling the toilet and sway from side to side to check the firmness of the floor. Is there any softness there?

What is the bathroom floor material? Is it ceramic tile, linoleum, wood, or carpet? Are the floor tiles 9 X 9 or 12 X 12? Do they look as if they contain asbestos? Are there any cracked, loose, or broken tiles? How does the linoleum fit around the edges? Are the edges lifting? How about alongside the bathtub? What is the condition of the underlayment under the linoleum or tiles?

Check the bathroom mirror. If there is a plate glass mirror on the wall, it should be supported with small clips all around the edges. I have seen some large plate glass mirrors leaning up against the bathroom wall and unsupported! The adhesive between the mirror and the sheetrock can weaken or let go altogether.