When purchasing a new home, it’s best practice to hire a professional property inspector to conduct a thorough inspection of the interior and exterior of the property. Usually, this inspection includes a sewer line inspection, where the inspector will snake a camera through your exterior sewer line pipe to determine if there are any breakages or interruptions that would prevent sewage from making it from your home to the municipal sewer line.
While this inspection point is commonplace when first purchasing a home, it’s often put off for years at a time afterward and can lead to big problems if you have an issue brewing! If you've owned a property for a number of years, it might be time to conduct another sewer line inspection.
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In this article, we’ll explore why sewer line inspection is an important preventative maintenance task including how the right professional will inspect your property, what happens if you have a repair to address, and how insurance could have your back.
Let’s get started!
Preventative Sewer Line Inspection
Sewer line inspections are not just for when you're buying a new home. Over time, sewer lines can deteriorate due to a variety of factors such as age, tree root intrusion, ground shifts, and blockages caused by debris. Regular inspections can help catch these issues early before they turn into major problems.
Conducting a sewer line inspection as preventative maintenance could save you thousands of dollars down the line.
If a breakage or blockage occurs in your sewage pipes, you could have sewage back up into the home or flood into the yard. Imagine coming home to find your basement flooded with sewage or your yard turned into a swamp due to a sewer line break…
The costs associated with cleaning up sewage (a biohazard) and repairing water damage can be astronomical. Preventative maintenance, including regular sewer line inspections, is a small investment compared to the potential costs of dealing with a sewer line failure.
Hire a Professional Inspector
Sewer line inspection is one of those maintenance tasks specific enough that you want to be sure you hire the right specialized professional. There’s nothing that can be determined about the state of your sewer line pipes by simply evaluating the lines with your naked eyes, as you need to actually get inside the line and follow it all the way out to the municipal lines.
Professional inspectors use specialized equipment, such as a sewer camera, to visually inspect the inside of your sewer pipes. This camera is attached to a long, flexible cable that can snake its way through your pipes, providing real-time video footage of the interior condition. The inspector can identify any potential issues, such as cracks, blockages, or tree root intrusions.
Hiring a professional ensures that the inspection is thorough and accurate. They have the expertise to interpret the footage and identify problems that an untrained eye might miss.
After the inspection, they should provide you with a detailed report of their findings, including recommendations for any necessary repairs.
Replacing Damaged Lines
If your inspection reveals a clog or breakage, it’s important to facilitate repairs as quickly as possible. If you've caught the issue before sewage is backing up into the home or yard, you’ll need to hire professionals to replace your lines. This project will require excavation equipment and digging up the line from your home all the way to the municipal connection, which is likely under or near the street in front of your home.
This is not a repair that owners can typically handle on their own. The process involves digging up large sections of your yard, removing the damaged pipe, and installing new sewer lines. In some cases, trenchless sewer repair methods can be used, which involve minimal digging and can be less disruptive. However, the extent of the damage will determine the best approach.
If the issue has advanced and you have backed up sewage in your property, the project becomes considerably larger and more expensive. In addition to the potential for significant excavation and replacement measures, extensive cleaning and remediation will be required so bacteria from the sewage is dealt with safely.
As you can see, clearing clogs and replacing sewer lines is a significant undertaking, one that can cost you lots of time and money. But with preventative inspections, you protect your wallet and your property from unnecessary damage.
Homeowners Insurance and Sewer Line Repairs
Clogged or damaged sewer lines is not an issue that your residents can be held liable for. This is another reason why it’s important to conduct preventive maintenance and keep them in the best shape possible.
If you find yourself facing repairs, your homeowner’s insurance policy may cover part of the cost. In many cases, standard policies do not cover damage to sewer lines unless you have specifically added an endorsement for this coverage, but it is always worth checking.
In addition to insurance coverage, some utility companies offer sewer line protection plans. These plans typically cover the cost of repairs or replacement if your sewer line is damaged. It's worth exploring these options to ensure you're adequately protected.
Final Thoughts: Prevent Damage with Proactive Inspection
Regular sewer line inspections are a crucial aspect of home maintenance that should not be overlooked. By conducting preventative inspections, you can identify and address potential issues before they turn into costly and disruptive problems. Hiring a professional inspector ensures a thorough evaluation of your sewer lines, and addressing any identified issues promptly can save you from extensive damage and expensive repairs.
Consider adding sewer line inspections to your annual maintenance checklist and review your homeowner's insurance policy to ensure you have adequate coverage for sewer line repairs. By taking these proactive steps, you can protect your home, your yard, and your peace of mind!
For extra support navigating this maintenance task and all the others, consider hiring a professional property management team, like Evernest. We’ve helped thousands of property owners successfully manage maintenance on their rental properties and avoid costly repairs.
Head to our website to find the Evernest team in your area and get started today!