Home Drain Inspection and Repair:

Very few first-time home buyers ask for a sewer inspection before purchase. Sewer inspections are not something most buyers think about. They know to get a home inspection, but sewer lines are almost an after thought, if it crosses a buyer’s mind at all. Yet it’s one of the most important inspections a buyer should conduct.

The time to find out if a sewer is faulty or needs replacement is before buying a home, not after.

Why Inspect the Sewer Line?

Obtain a sewer inspection if the home is older than 20 years. Although the sewer line may be fairly new, tree roots can still clog up a 20-year-old sewer line.

Tree roots growing into sewer lines is a common problem. Roots crawl into tiny openings and expand in the sewer line, latching on to other debris which causes backups. Sometimes chemicals can kill the tree’s roots, but if the roots reappear, the pipe may be damaged and require excavation to fix the problem.

Homes that were constructed prior to city sewers often relied on cesspools. After cities installed public septic systems, sometimes the cesspools were left intact and connected to the sewer line. You won’t know unless you inspect the sewer.

Many homes built from the 1860’s to the 1970’s have sewer lines made from pitch fiber or tar paper called ‘black pipe’ or Orangeburg pipes. These disintegrate and collapse over time. It has been taken off the list of acceptable materials by most building codes. If a home has fiber piping, the sewer line definitely needs to be replaced.

How to Inspect a Sewer Line

We insert a ‘snake’ attached to a small CCTV video camera into the clean-out and feed the camera through your sewer. You can watch the image on a monitor. Not only will we find out if the sewer line is clean or clogged, but the inspection will disclose the condition of the sewer. We can tell you what kind of material was used to construct the sewer line and whether that type of material is considered up to code.

It might cost anywhere from $85 to $300 to have the sewer line inspected, but considering the cost to replace a sewer line, it’s money well spent.

Should you require a new sewer line, we can use the trenchless method, which involves pulling a new sewer line through the existing sewer without the need to dig. Trenchless sewers cost almost one-third less than digging up the entire yard and replacing the sewer.

Drainage problems are caused by several factors, including the condition of the sanitary sewer system itself, natural phenomena such as earth movement and rain, and the incorrect usage of the system by the public. Empipe are experts at sewer maintenance and solving any home drainage problem. The following are examples of some typical sanitary sewer system problems:

Accumulation of Solids like fats, oils, grease, dirt, bones, tampons, paper towels, diapers, broken dishware, garbage, concrete, and other debris can buildup in the pipe and cause system problems, slow draining and backups.

Structural Defects in pipes and maintenance holes, significant sags or bellies in the main, cracks, holes, protruding lateral pipes, misaligned, offset and open pipe joints, and collapsing pipe sections, all impact your home drainage system.

Undersized Sewer Pipes are a growing issue. The existing sewer system is overloaded due to new sewer hook-ups, underground water infiltration, and illegal roof and yard drain connections.

Inflow and Infiltration Problem: As a sewer system ages it is in constant need of inspection and repair. Cracked and broken sewer lines, and maintenance holes, can allow ground water to enter the system. In addition to groundwater, illegal storm water connections and roof downspouts add rainwater to the sewer system. This additional water volume is called inflow and infiltration. During a heavy rain, this additional water can overburden the sewer system and cause overflows and basement flooding. Disconnecting downspouts and other fixtures that collect storm runoff lessens the chances of pipes being overloaded.

Tree Roots are a common cause of backups. Root problems tend to occur in the older areas of any city where trees are more established. The systems servicing these areas consist of older asbestos cement and clay tile pipes which usually do not have permanent seals at the joints, which roots can penetrate. Air and nutrient-rich water can seep from the pipes, creating an ideal growing medium for roots at any depth. These can penetrate the pipe joints and cracks, then fill the pipes with a root mass. If allowed to continue growing, they may exert enough pressure to spread the cracks of the joint or point of entry, increasing the problem. The use of plastic pipes can help eliminate root problems, as long as the pipes joints are properly sealed. Cutting the roots out of the pipe is a temporary fix. Like pruning, it can encourage even more growth. Treating the roots and filling the holes with special grout or relining the pipe is the most effective treatment to help prevent re-growth.

Fat, Oil and Grease from cooking and food preparation that is poured down the drain can solidify, build up and plug drain lines in your building or home. They can also plug the sewer lines owned by the City, thus increasing the maintenance cost. Plugged sewers can also cause home flooding. Also, the discharge of sewer effluent and sewer overflows can significantly impact the environment, particularly if sewage reaches fish bearing waters.

From 50 - 70 % of all sanitary sewer system problems overflows are caused by accumulations of fats, oils and greases discharged to it from the preparation and serving of food. In the food industry, “grease” often refers to fats and oils derived from animal and vegetable sources. Common sources of fat, oil and grease are meats and poultry, dairy and pasta products, vegetable and plant oils, soups, gravies, chili, sauces, and condiments, as well as waxes and paraffins.

Avoid disposing of any fat or grease down your home or work drain. Greasy pans should be wiped with paper towels, or the grease placed into a container to solidify, and then disposed of in your regular garbage. The use of low phosphate soaps for dishes and laundry is also recommended.

If you suspect that there is grease build up in your line, or other deficiencies, we suggest inspecting your entire drainage system to determine the physical and operating condition of the system located on your property.