Sewer Scope Inspections
Sewer Scope Insepctions
Two Moose Home Inspections offers sewer scope inspections as an add-on service and as a standalone service. This service is frequently requested by home buyers who want to be sure that they don’t have thousands of dollars of repairs waiting for them under the ground or by home sellers who want to have control over the negotiation of the house price when they put it on the market.
Only 51% of all sewer lines that we have inspected are issue free. 29% of Sewer Scope Inspections find minor issues that should be repaired or monitored, and 20% of sewer lines have a complete failure that would require work to be performed to operate in a meaningful way.
Does My House Need A Sewer Scope Inspection
Every house should have their sewer line inspected semi-regularly because the cost of an inspection is insignificant when compared to the cost of a repair that is caught too late. As a house ages the likelihood of a system failure increases exponentially, however, if the sewer line was inadequately installed major issues could exist from day one.
Sometimes it is possible to have a sewer line repair covered by a warranty, the seller, or the HOA. A warranty may exist for a new construction home, the seller may negotiate a repair or price reduction if an issue is found, and the HOA should have funding reserved for major repairs.
If you are living in a condominium or if your house is on septic there is no need to have a sewer scope inspection performed. Condominium drainage is usually 100% covered by the HOA and a sewer scope inspection will not help you negotiate a price, nor will it save you money from a repair. Septic systems are inspected by a third-party company during a real estate transaction and the inspection process includes measuring the scum layer, sludge layer, and flow through the leach field. The septic system inspection process also includes removing solid waste with a septic truck.
How Much Does A Repair Cost
Repairs can range from a $400 clog removal all the way to a $20,000 and above for excavation and replacement. Although sellers are required to disclose known issues with the house a partially collapsed, clogged, or offset sewer pipe isn’t something the homeowner would know without first performing a sewer scope inspection.
Repairs can range in price based on length of pipe, the depth of the trench, and the public access or services that are affected by the excavation and repair. Many sewer lines extend from the house to the center of the public road, and the responsibility to repair belongs to the homeowner. This means that the homeowner will have to pay for utility locates, detouring of vehicle traffic, excavation, removal of old fill material, repair of the sewer drainage pipe, new backfill material, repaving of roadways, and repouring of concrete sidewalks.
What Could Go Wrong
Many issues with sewer drainpipes can occur shortly after the initial installation of the pipe or decades after the installation. Blow is list of defects that occur in the order by which we see them most.
Low Areas – When a pipe settles or when the fill material is not adequately installed the pipe can have one or many low areas which are referred to as the ‘belly’ of a pipe. The low area slows down water similarly to the shallow pool at the bottom of a speed slide at a water park. This can cause solids to back-up which can result in clogs and further sagging of the pipe. This sludge buildup is difficult to remove without a mechanical intervention. If the belly is bad enough the pipe may have to be excavated and repositioned.
Pipe Damage – When pipes are installed, they are buried beneath the ground. Sand should be used to protect the pipe and fill any voids around the pipe to prevent movement. Rocks tend to find their way into the trench and rest against the pipe. When the trench is mechanically compressed layer by layer the rock dents the pipe which frequently results in cracks and clogs.
Debris – We often find debris inside the sewer pipe. This debris is commonly cotton “flushable” wipes that should never have been flushed down the toilet. We have also found solid food waste, personal items, and construction debris. Houses that have uncapped sewer line pipes near the house often have a significant number of small rocks in the pipe since children enjoy dropping rocks into pipes. All of these things that are found in pipes lead to clogs and other issues that are listed here.
Offsets – When pipes are connected to each other the seal can fail and the pipes can separate. This separation causes what is called an offset. Solid and liquid waste may not be able to continue down the pipe but instead seep into the surrounding soil. This will eventually cause accelerated settlement of the soil around the pipe which will eventually present itself as a low spot in the yard or a sewage saturated lawn. This issue almost always requires excavation or re-sleaving of the pipe.
Tree Roots – Tree roots are constantly seeking out water sources to help the tree grow. If the sewer pipe has even the slightest leak, the root systems of the surrounding trees will find the moisture and then push and pry into the pipe to find the source of the moisture. As the tree roots grow, they can easily damage the pipe and will frequently fill the pipe will a large ball of roots that clog the pipe. If the issue is caught soon enough the roots can be mechanically removed by a bladed rotary tool. After the initial removal of roots, it is common that the roots will need to be cut back on a regular basis to prevent clogs.
Pipe Collapse - When any of the above listed issues occur the pipe is at risk of full collapse. If the pipe collapses excavation and replacement is the only solution. A pipe collapse is the most expensive issue and always requires intervention.
Inferior Pipe Materials – Some older homes may have clay, concrete or Orangeburg pipe. Clay and concrete are prone to cracking and collapsing. Orangeburg pipe is made of compressed wood pulp and was in use until 1972. These materials are very likely to fail and should raise some concerns and start some conversations with master plumbers to determine what steps to take next.
What’s the Next Step
Once the sewer scope inspection is complete the results may seem bad or overwhelming, but it is important to take a moment and work your way down this list in the order that it is presented before making any final decisions.
Estimate repair costs: Not every blocked sewer line is a worst-case scenario. The potential blockage could be easily removed with internal action, rather than digging up the yard. You have time to weigh your options, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction.
Take time to assess: Time is your friend when negotiating a house purchase. Look at the big picture and assess how extensive the problems might be. Take a step back, calmly plan your next step and don’t get caught unaware. The house may have benefits such as location, overall condition or several other factors that make a sewer line repair worth the wait.
Determine responsibility: Having a sewer line inspection lets you determine responsibility for fixing problems. The line’s overall condition will be better known, and potential repairs may be the responsibility of the homeowner or depending on the circumstance it could be covered by the HOA, local government, or a warranty. This is time to get interested parties involved before the deal goes further.
Negotiate repair costs: You have an option to negotiate repair costs with the seller. It’s important to bring parties together and discuss the scope of repairs and who will incur what costs. Depending on the situation, your inspection might find a looming threat, but not an outright danger. Circumstances will determine if you’re willing to move forward, or if you can now negotiate repair costs as part of your purchase deal.
Abandon your deal: If your sewer pipe inspection finds a serious problem, and everything listed above doesn’t work in your favor, you have the option to abandon your deal and walk away. This might be a tough decision when everything else about the property appears perfect. Remember that it’s a matter of future costs, and you simply may not be willing to take the risk.
The Two Moose Home Inspections Process
When an inspector from Two Moose Home Inspections first arrives to the house, the inspector will assess the property to best determine where the sewer pipe would tie into the main sewer line. The inspector will then look for access ports known as clean-outs that might be located on the exterior of the house. If there are no clean-outs on the exterior of the house, the inspector will look for a clean-out inside the house, and if none are installed the inspector will remove a toilet to access the sewer pipe from there.
Once the inspector has gained access to the sewer line the inspector will use a self-leveling color camera that is wirelessly connected to an iPad. While the inspector is performing the sewer pipe inspection, we highly recommend that you join us so you can ask questions as we explore the pipe with you. As the camera is pushed through the pipe, we are able to see how far the camera has gone which allows us to clearly identify the exact location of an issue. We do our best to push the camera head to the connection with the main sewer line, but sometimes we are unable to make the full journey. If there are a significant number of bends it can make pushing the camera nearly impossible, some sewer lines are longer than our 200’ sewer scope, and some pipes are clogged or damaged to the point that the camera cannot go any further.
Once the camera has gone as far as it can we use a detector to locate the head of the camera in the pipe. The locator will detect the frequency created by the camera and we will then be able to determine the approximate location and normally the depth of the sewer line.
Once the location of the sewer main or furthest point the camera can travel, the sewer scope is retracted and sanitized, and the inspector will return the house to the condition it was in prior to leaving. The sewer scope video is then submitted with the written report which is usually completed the evening of the inspection or within 24 hours.
Our pricing and availability is located on the Two Moose Home Inspection website when you click “Schedule an Inspection”. You can schedule everything online and you will see an invoice and pre-inspection agreement from us once we get access to the house from the homeowner.
If you have any further question, please send us a message.