Home Buyers Beware
At this time in history a home buyer needs to make sure that the sewer line in the home they are about to buy is in good working order. What most people don’t know – even the sellers- are that sewer pipes degrade and after 30, 40 or 50 years – the grout or mortar that holds the pipes together underground degrades and wash away. This happens as the pipes age and there is nothing short of sewer pipe lining or digging it up and replacing the sewer to insure that these joints stay intact. A short time after the mortar washes away, trees sense water in the ground and send tiny hair like roots to investigate and once they find the source the roots grow into the sewer. Cutting down the trees is not solving the problem since roots will continue to grow even after the tree is gone. Another issue that is caused by the small openings between the pipes is that it allows storm water to enter the system causing many homeowners sewer backups during storms. These backups happen because you, your neighbors and the municipal sewers are all in the same condition allowing large amounts of storm water into the system causing the sewage treatment facility to back up and this filthy mixture has nowhere to go except into your basement. As you can guess; this combination of storm and sewage is an unhealthy mixture and makes not only an awful mess in your basement, it can destroy precious belongings, the water heater, furnace and other appliances.
The solution: Have a sewer inspection done by a professional plumber who has a sewer camera before purchasing the home. Home inspectors do not do this type of inspection since it takes special equipment. The cost of this type of sewer inspection can range from $99 up to $500 depending on the plumbing contractor you call. It involves inserting the camera into the sewer and in most cases they need to rod the sewer first. They need to rod the sewer because most homes in the area are older than 30 years old and have tree roots so the rodding machine is needed to open a pathway through the tree roots before the condition of the sewer pipe can be seen. At the Scottish Plumber we offer a $99 Drain Cleaning and Video Camera Inspection and if you are buying a new home this is a service we highly recommend. We know that sewer repairs can range from several thousand to twenty thousand or more. $99 compared to a $20,000 repair makes this service a no-brainer for home buyers. Even new home buyers need this service because your new home most likely was built on an old lot and the contractor’s plumber hooked your new homes plumbing up to the old original sewer line. . This whole scenario happens due to the age of the pipes and to be fair -contractors and home owners cannot see under the ground they just don’t know the condition of the pipes and in most cases they are not trying to hide this information, they are just not aware of it.
Call today to set up your appointment 877-622-5458 for $99 Sewer Inspection. We serve all of Chicagoland.