Why Every Home Inspection Needs a Sewer Scope!

Should you schedule a sewer scope with your home inspection?

If you’re buying or selling your home, understanding what condition each aspect is in is a critical part of ascertaining its value. Even if you’re a current homeowner, a home inspection can help identify any problem areas you need to address.

While it often goes overlooked, the condition of your sewer line can have an immense impact on the value of your house and the quality of your life. The best way to monitor the health of your sewer main is with a sewer scope, as it can uncover many issues that will need addressing. In this relatively simple procedure, a specialized camera feeds through the part of your sewer line that connects your home to the city sewer system, and a video recording reveals any potential defects in your sewer.

At Reliant Home Inspections, we offer sewer scopes as an ancillary service. We have found that the benefits of understanding how your sewer system is faring outweigh the extra investment. Here’s what you could see from your sewer scope:

• Broken sewer lines

  • Root intrusion, damaged lines, sags, or outdated sewer components can lead to severe damage on your property, on the inside and outside. A sewer scope enables you to see any of these potential liabilities and how severe they are, so that you can resolve them before severe damages to your home occur.

• Blockages

  • Sometimes broken lines are not the issue, and a less severe problem like a blockage is the cause of your sewer malfunctions. A sewer scope can identify clogged or occluded portions of your sewer lines, and once we’ve found the backup, we can recommend how to resolve it.

• Decomposition rates

  • If the pH of your septic system becomes imbalanced, sewage products may accumulate so quickly that it can back up into your home. If you have this problem, you will likely need to have your sewage tank vacuumed by a professional. A sewer scope can help you monitor the status of your sewage levels so that you can prevent backups before they occur.

It’s not the type of job that many of us like to consider, but evaluating the functionality of your sewer system is an essential part of determining the status of your home. Unnoticed sewer problems can result in unpleasant and harmful odors, sewage backup, and ground damage – all of which can require costly, unforeseen repairs and can devalue your home significantly.  A sewer scope will help you catch these problems before they start, saving you the cost and headache of dealing with them when they reach catastrophic levels. As a homeowner, you’ll have to deal with this part of maintaining your house eventually; better to find any problems now.

Contact us today and schedule a scope with your home inspection!