Short answer, Yes! You should get a sewer scope with any home purchase. Why, you ask, because there is no way of knowing what the lateral drain line condition is without it.
What is a sewer scope inspection service?
It is a video inspection of the interior of the underground portion of the drain line from the house to the street or septic tank.
Why is it important to have done?
If a drain is damaged underground, it can cost thousands of dollars to repair. The national average cost to replace a sewer line is $8,000.
How can I know the condition of the drain line?
There is only one way to tell, that is to get a sewer scope video of the line interior.
What can I expect to see on a sewer scope video?
You can expect to see if the line is functioning as intended, or if there are issues inside the drain piping.
What types of damage could there be?
The line may have broken sections in it. It could also have tree root intrusions. The line may have low spots or bellies that may hold enough water that could cause backups in the drain. There could be offsets in pipe causing partial blockages. The line material may be collapsing.
What types of drain material are there?
Orange burg piping in Iowa is quite common in older homes. This type of pipe has about a 50-year life expectancy. It often has started to delaminate or collapse. There are a lot of instances where the drain has failed and needed to be replaced.
Cast-iron piping which rusts from the inside out and often should be cleaned to help eliminate potential blockages.
Clay or concrete tile that has a tendency to allow tree roots to enter at the connections. Have you seen any trees in the front yards of many homes in Iowa? Just about every one has a tree next to or over the sewer line.
So, you can see that is is very important to have a sewer scope inspection performed in order to determine the condition of the drain and if there are any hidden damages or material failure. It can also be a useful tool for price negations if problems are identified.
When you schedule your home inspection with Seamless, we offer sewer scopes for your benefit. Yes, we get paid to do it, sure, but if it saves you $8,000, wouldn't it be worth it?
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