Before closing a purchase on a house, most home buyers will get a general house inspection. This is especially true when buying an old house, but it is also useful for new buildings. House inspections discover existing or potential problems with the property. In this way, you can save lots of money by preventing costly repairs. However, most home inspectors fail to examine the sewer lines, which can turn out to be a critical and costly mistake.

In accordance with the state’s standards, the home inspector identifies health, safety, or major mechanical issues. This means that the home inspector will look out for any broken, defected, or dangerous problems within the house and its surrounding area. In this way, a home buyer can renegotiate a deal depending on the amount of repair or replacement that needs to be done. However, it is important to point out that while an inspector will notice a clogging problem, they probably won’t know what the underlying cause of the problem is.

Why House Inspectors Tend to Overlook Sewer Lines

A home inspector is not going to purposefully overlook your sewer lines. Home inspectors are very competent at what they do. They have a vast amount of general building knowledge, so a good inspector will make sure to check all the necessary fixtures- but they are not experts on everything

Most of the sewer system is underground, so it is necessary to count with knowledge and specialized equipment to give the sewer lines a proper inspection. Unfortunately, some inspectors fail to consider the sewer lines as an extension of the plumbing system. And after a couple of months of living in your nice house, severe sewage problems may arise.

Why a Sewer Line Inspection is Better Than a Sewer Repair

When you are about to buy a new house, it may look like a sewer inspection is an unnecessary expense- but it can safe you a fortune in the future. Sewer line replacements are cheap, but sewer repairs can be extremely expensive and disruptive.

The cost of repair will depend on the issue at hand. For a clogged sewer, you could pay a couple hundred dollars. But if the sewer needs replacement, the cost will skyrocket due to the excavation involved. Not only will you have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for all the associated expense, but your lawn and driveway will be torn.

In summary, the total cost of repair will depend on the sewer line condition, the problem’s location and the root cause. Most of the sewer problems are preventable if they are caught in time. Getting a sewer line inspection before closing your house purchase will save you unnecessary hassle and lots of money.

What Could be the Worst That Can Happen?

Consider the next scenario. You’ve been wanting to buy a house for a while, and after lots of searching you’ve found the perfect house for you. It’s a beautiful historic house with everything you need, and within your budget. You’ve hired a home inspector, and everything seems to be in order. So you make the purchase, and you happily move in. But after three months, problems start arising.

It all starts with a funny smell coming from the basement. Then, you notice that the toilets are flushing slowly and that gurgling noises come from the drains. Those things don’t seem like a big deal, so instead of calling a plumber you just let them be. But after a couple of days, toilets won’t flush anymore and there’s a backflow that’s flooding your basement. You can’t ignore this anymore; you need professional assistance urgently, so you call plumber.

The plumber tells you that you’ve got to a stopped sewer line, and that they have to find the cause of the blockage to fix it. But it turns out that the responsible of the blockage is your favorite tree in the front yard. Its roots have strangled the pipe and burst it open. And not only that, your plumber tells you that the blockage is in the side of your property, not the city’s, so it’s your problem to fix. Unfortunately, the main blockage is under your driveway, and it the sewer line is so damaged that it needs to be completely replaced. And to make matter worse, the line goes under the tree, so your driveway, your lawn, and the tree will be torn apart.

You ask for an estimate and given all the amount of work that needs to be done, it’s going to be close to $20, 000. Your bank recommends you to contact the previous owner, and the next thing you is that you have to call your lawyer.

What Options Do I Have?

It’s hard to tell what would happen at court, if this were a real situation. There is a “buyer-beware” and due diligence responsibility as a home buyer. There is no responsibility for a home seller to do a sewer inspection. They only need to disclose potential or existing problems, but it even they might not be aware of the sewage problems in the property.

Of course, that is a worst—case scenario. Chances are that if the property you want to buy has sewer issues, they won’t be as severe. However, it is important to remember that sewage problems for new homeowners are preventable by having a sewer inspection.

The cost of a video pipe inspection will range from $200 to $300- but having the peace of mind about the state of the sewer line is priceless. Chances are that everything is fine, but in case there is a problem you can use the information to do what is more convenient for you.

These are the options you have in case there is a problem in the sewer

• Take time to assess your options

Don’t rush to take any decision. Try to look at the big picture, and asses how the severity of the problem. Think about all the details regarding the situation, and calmly plan your next step.

• Get an estimate for the repair costs

Remember, the cost of repair will depend on the current state of the sewer line. Chances are that the problem isn’t as bad to use excavation methods. The house qualify for a trenchless repair. This means that excavation won’t be needed, which reduces the price and maintains your lawn and driveway.

• Determine responsibility

Having a sewer line inspection will determine who is responsible for fixing the problem: the city or the owner. Sewer lines are part private and public property. So, if there is a problem on the public part of the sewage, the city will have to take care of the repair costs. If not, it is the home owner who takes full responsibility.

• Negotiate the repair costs with your seller

The inspector may have found a looming problem, but not a dangerous situation. So depending on the state of the sewer line, you can ask the seller to pay for the repair and renegotiate your agreement.

• Cancel your deal

If you consider that the time and costs of repair outweighs the benefits of getting the house, you can walk away from the deal. This might be a difficult decision, but if you can’t afford the future costs, cancel the deal. You don’t have to get into something that will not benefit you in the long term.

Finding a Trustable Sewer Line Inspector

As you can notice, a sewer line inspection can prevent costly and messy future problems. You want a trustworthy and experienced plumbing company to take care of your sewer line inspection.

Professional Sewer Repairs Denver is that trustworthy and experienced company. We are a licensed, bonded, and insured company that offers quality and affordable plumbing services to the Denver metropolitan area. We have state of the art sewer inspection equipment, and our staff is qualified and knowledgeable to identify your sewer issues. We always keep our client’s best interest in mind, so you can trust that we will be honest and forthcoming.