Stone Arch Bridge
Video inspection of the main sewer line
One of the potential "big ticket" items to know about when purchasing a home is the condition of the sewer line.
As a homeowner you are responsible for the drain line as it leaves the home until it connect with the municipal sewer line. An ideal sewer line is actually fairly clean! A properly sloped line carries all the waste away and the waste water scours the line. This is the trouble-free line we are looking for!
The sewer line is made of either cast iron, PVC, clay tile or a combination of these, and usually runs 75 to 100 feet long.
Despite the age of the home and the material used, major issued have been uncovered with the video sewer examination.
- PVC sewer lines can crack or break if there is earth movement and can have backups due to waste buildup if the line is not properly sloped.
- Cast iron pipe can deteriorate due to rust-out. And again, if the line is not properly sloped allowing sewage to pond in the same spot, or flood the line. Openings in the line allow sewage to leak out and wash away the support soil, further weakening the line.
- Clay tile pipe is suseptible to age deterioration, cracking and cave-ins. Clay tile is installed in 2 or 3 ft segments and it is at these joint that problems arise. Root incursion is the most common, but separations, dips or "bellies" and fractures of the clay are also found.
- Recent repairs were found "in-effective", new liners found to be incomplete, cleaning and root and blockage removal found not to have been done.
The video does not lie! See for yourself.
Here is a sample of a sewer inspection video
These clay pipes in the foreground above are the culprits. The construction activity in the background is the result. Why the city is still using segmented clay pipe is not known. Perhaps price or ease of installation. But they are still in use, although they are said to only have a 75 year lifespan.
Diamonds In The Rough Home Inspections conducts the sewer examinations "in-house" on the day of the inspection. This means no extra scheduling and no other vendors in the home. We utilize a compact, state of the art video sewer camera with a 200' reel, which allows us to carry the unit to the basement rather than rolling a dirty machine across the carpeting. When we are done, the cleanout cap is sealed with teflon thread sealer or, if need be, replaced with a new compression cap.
The examination usually takes less than an hour. The video is then analyzed and a separate report generated. The report includes a YouTube link to the actual video.
Once your move into your new home the last thing you want to worry about is a sewer backup. No matter the age of the home, a video sewer examination will give you the peace of mind knowing there will be no surprizes from this system.