Sewer Issues
When I became a real estate agent, I never expected to spend hours watching sewer scope videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, it has become routine.
Recently I have represented both buyers and sellers on homes build between 1900 and 1940. All of these were in Seattle, where clay and concrete sewer pipe was common. Years of earth movement and root intrusion and the aging of these pipes can created blockages and offsets that can cause backups into home basements, lower levels, or allow raw sewage to flow directly into the earth.
“Regardless of the condition of the home, I always recommend a sewer scope to a home purchaser. “
A surprise to most owners, they are responsible for the line to the city main that is usually in the middle of the street. Sometimes this can be a long line. Many times, sellers are unaware that they have an issue until a scope discovers one.
The scope is inserted into the clean out at the home (you should know where this is) or a lower level toilet can be pulled to feed the camera through. Root intrusion can be jetted out but pipe cracks and displacement can be an expensive fix with either replacement or re-lining.
Sewer companies recommend a product called Root X which helps with keeping the lines clear.
If you have large trees or abundant vegetation of the property, a small displacement can cause big problems.
Here is a link provided by the City of Seattle.
http://www.seattle.gov/util/MyServices/DrainageSewer/YourPropertysSideSewer/index.htm
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in recommending companies who do sewer scopes or repairs.