Once it gets over 30, things start going wrong.
Sometimes even sooner than that! My house was about 13yo back when I bought it in 1988; and it's a quite basic 3BR design, but constructed to a very high standard [Vic Housing Commission; brick veneer, concrete tile roof, with concrete stumps and hardwood flooring].
In the first year I owned it, had to replace the water line from the meter to the house - pitting corrosion had eaten through the underground section of the gal line. So that got re-done in copper.
Then the gravity feed HWS sprang a leak in the base of the tank!
With a bit of in-ceiling jiggery and pokery, my brother and I managed to sweat solder a copper patch over the split in the bottom of the copper tank.
With another patch about 10 years later, I got a further 19 years of service out of that system, before I pensioned it off in 2007.
At the same time, I had the plumber replace the old gal cold water line under the house with copper - in some places, the gal line only had a ~8mm hole through it; rust had closed it up that much.
I am currently contending with sagging gutters, need roof refinished/pointed as the gutters end up with lumps of pointing and tile sand,
car port sagging causing water to flow the wrong way, soakwells full of crap (and 3 are under the lawn), one corner of the house has sunk slightly so sliding door is a pain,
need to do flywires, tap seats all on their way out, water hammer, rusty water coming through in the morning so other things stuffed as well.
Plus I need to rip to toilet off the floor and put in a new rubber mounting gasket
Don't know what to do first
Start with the issues that can/will cause structural damage.
Top of that list is the roof, followed by the gutters. My gutters are way overdue for replacement, but I first have to get a root blockage in the stormwater line fixed up.
When I can find a local plumber that actually wants the work, that is...
