Whether you are looking into buying an older home, or have already made that investment, there is one often overlooked inspection that you should be aware of.
The Importance Of A Sewer Line Inspection
Sewer line inspections are an important part of making sure your home is staying up to par. This can be especially important if you have yet to purchase the home, as undetected problems can lead to thousands of dollars in sewer repair.
In older homes, the pipes can become corroded and prone to cracks and breaks. A broken sewer pipe can lead to sewage backing up into you home, which is something everyone wants to avoid. Even in newer homes the pipes and sewer lining can become damaged and clogged by roots. The only way to know for certain is to get a camera inspection performed by professionals.
Know Where Your Line Is
Regardless of if your in the market or owning a home, you should be aware of where the sewer line is located. Line locating can be easily accomplished, usually by a quick phone call to your municipality. To locate the specifics you can use this tool where all you need is your address, or potential address. Once you have this information, calling your towns maintenance and zoning office should be all that you need. In larger cities you may be directed to call their designated sewer department, but either way you will be pointed in the right direction. With this information you can look at the surroundings and note if there is any dense tree growth nearby, or other hazards that could pose a danger to underground lines. If you detect anything that seems to raise a red flag, asking for an inspection should be step number two.
Alternatively, plumbers can sometimes perform line locating. Small camera that are flushed down a drain can relay information back about line depth and quality. Radar can also be utilized if other options aren’t providing adequate results.
Additionally, line locating is something that should be done if you’re planning any renovations that require underground work. Installing a basement or pool without knowing where your lines are can lead to disaster quickly.
Other Methods of Line Locating
If you’re able you can always ask the previous owner where the lines are located, and if there have been any problems. A previous owner may also be able to tell you of any repairs that have been done, along with the age of the system; if it had been replaced at all to their knowledge.
If the property has a septic tank you can also utilize it to find out where the line is. Typically the main sewer line will run in a straight line from the home to the tank, following this, you should be able to plot out where the line is running.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Sewer lines are something that many homeowners don’t think about until something goes wrong. If you’ve been experiencing backups, foul odors, or slow drains, it may be worth a quick inspection. Leaving a damaged sewer line for too long will only compound the issue and make it more expensive to fix in the future.
