Sewer inspection is an important part of preventing plumbing disasters.
A lot of homeowners are unaware that a sewer line will get clogged or broken if not inspected. Clogs and breaks can cause sewage to back up into the home, which can lead to serious water damage or contaminated dirt.
Don’t let a sewer line break devastate your home.
[ez-toc]
For this reason, it is important that you do a sewer test before you buy a home. It can cost up to 500 USD but it can save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Reasons to do a sewer inspection before buying a home
Sewer inspection is an important step before you buy a home. If there has been any damage to the sewer line, you can avoid dealing with emergency repairs. It also makes sure that you don’t overpay for the house. The owner often will give a discount if you can prove that there is a problem with the sewer as it can cost a lot of money to get this repaired and can even lead to contaminations.
If you have any questions about doing a sewer inspection yourself, don’t hesitate to ask your real estate agent for help. Sewer lines are tricky and new construction is constantly being built with them as well, so they should be able to give you some pointers on what to look out for when doing a sewer test.
The damage that sewer leaks can cause range from a minor inconvenience, such as a clogged toilet, to significant issues like sewage backing up into the home and causing serious water damage.
Dirty water can also leak in the soil and lead to cracks in your foundations. It can be necessary to open up the floor or to tunnel under the foundation to get this fixed. These are expensive repairs and you don’t want to pay for them if you just paid a lot of money for a house.
To prevent this type of disaster, you will need to have your sewer line inspected by professionals and if there is any sign of trouble, they should be able to fix it with minimal effort.
A leak can even attract drain flies and other problems. For this reason, it should be fixed as soon as possible.
What to look for during a sewer inspection
You can get a camera and run it down the drain yourself. Here are some things that you can notice:
The following is some advice on what to look for during a sewer inspection.
– Look for cracks in the sewer line. A crack can happen if the pipe gets stressed or exposed to too much heat from nearby construction.
– Look for roots that have grown into the sewer line, which can cause severe damage.
– Check inside of the sewer line for any signs of water leaking into the sewage system. If you see water, there is a leak and you need to get it fixed as soon as possible before it causes serious problems with your home’s plumbing.
– Look for signs of mold and rust in the sewer pipe. Mold and rust can cause clogs and breaks by breaking pieces off of pipes and sending them into the sewage system.
– Keep an eye out for sludge buildup in your drainpipes, which can be caused by grease or oil buildup in sink drains or toilets (if they are not regularly cleaned). These substances contribute to clogs because they don’t break down easily like most other things do, and they also float on top of water instead of sinking to the bottom.
If you have a broken or clogged sewer line, you can use a drain camera to detect the problem.
To use a drain camera, you need to go through the home’s main sewer line and watch for anything that might be blocking it.
Why you should hire a professional inspector
While it is quite easy to run a camera in a drain, this won’t allow you to see all the issues that are possible.
It is best to hire a professional who has been trained in sewer lines and knows how to find problems before they become major. They will also know what signs to look for when inspecting the sewage lines, so it will be easier for them to find any issues that may be there. A water pressure test is often recommended to see if the drain is leaking or not.
In this test, an inflatable rubber ball is inserted into your drains. The drain is then filled with water. The pressure is then checked to make sure that the water stays in place and that there are no leaks. It is essential that you wait 15 minutes to see if the water drops or not. The rubber balls should have a cord so that it is easy to remove them after the inspection. It can be a pain to get them out if your cord breaks so be careful when you do this.
Tree roots are the cause of a lot of damage to drains. They can grow in them and break them over time. Removing the roots itself is not an issue but repairing the drains can be challenging and expensive as a lot of digging can be needed to access them.
Conclusion
Just because you are purchasing a new property doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t test your sewer line. This is especially true if you’re planning to buy a home in an older part of the city.
Make sure that you find out if the property has a sewer line and if it is backed up by calling the city where the home is located. If there isn’t any, then you can look into inspecting it yourself.
This will save you money and prevent problems down the road. Be sure to work with a plumber that is specialized in this as it can require some equipment to get it done. You often have an inspection period when you buy a house, use it wisely!
