Inspections are par for the course when buying a home, but there’s one important system that many potential buyers overlook: the sewer line.

A typical home inspection doesn’t examine the sewer because it is buried underground. The only surefire way to have the system inspected is to hire someone to perform a sewer camera inspection. The cost of this inspection is worth it.

Imagine buying a home and finding out weeks later that there are problems with the sewer system. You’re dealing with messy backups in your home, and now you have to repair the problem.

Sewer repair is not cheap. On average, repairs can cost $5,000. If the problem is in the street, repairs can easily creep up to $20,000 or more.

Don’t assume that a newer home won’t have sewer issues. In one story, buyers purchased a home built in 2006. The builder decided it would be a good idea to reuse the clay sewer line from the early 1900s to save on costs. An inspection found that the line had several breaks that needed repair, despite the home being almost new.

Even with relatively new sewer lines, anything can happen. A camera inspection may reveal that a 10-year-old sewer line is already clogged or damaged by tree roots.

Old and deteriorating lines can easily collapse, which would allow sewage to seep into your home.

The diligent home buyer will appreciate having a home’s sewer system inspected, and our home inspectors often recommend having sewer lines scoped if a home was built before 1980.

Buying a home is a significant investment. Taking the time to inspect the sewer line can help you the home buyer avoid costly repairs that can set you back financially. While we don’t currently scope sewers, we are in the process of taking that training so we can provide this service to our home buyers in the near future. In the meantime, you can contact Smith Sewer for your sewer scope. (Article taken from ASHI.org Feb 2018)