Why a sewer camera inspection belongs in every older home purchase

What a general inspection covers

A home inspector runs fixtures, looks for visible leaks and checks the water heater. What they rarely do is run a camera through the sewer line from the house to the street. That line is buried, out of sight and often decades older than the kitchen.

What a camera shows

A sewer camera records the inside of the lateral: pipe material, root intrusion, cracks, offset joints, sags that hold water and collapsed sections. Each problem can be located from the surface with depth.

Older neighborhoods need it most

Homes built before the 1970s in Land Park, East Sacramento, Curtis Park, Tahoe Park, River Park, Arden-Arcade and similar neighborhoods frequently have clay or Orangeburg laterals. Those lines can look fine from the house while roots or deformation are slowly closing them.

How buyers use the results

A clean line lets you close with confidence. A line with roots or minor damage can be priced into the negotiation. A badly damaged or collapsed line is a large repair, and knowing that before closing gives you options: a credit, a repair by the seller, or walking away.

Timing within escrow

Schedule the camera inspection early in your inspection period, alongside the general home inspection. If the line needs cleaning before the camera can pass, that takes a little longer, and you want the results in hand before your contingency deadline.

Ask the seller's agent where the cleanout is. If there is none, we may need to pull a toilet, which needs the seller's permission.

Reading the report

Focus on three things: the pipe material, whether there are any breaks or collapses, and whether water sits in low spots. Roots at a few joints are common and manageable. A collapsed section or a long belly is a more serious repair.

Our written summary lists each issue with its distance from the cleanout and a repair estimate, so it can be used directly in negotiations.

What to ask for

Ask for the full recorded video, the footage location of any problems, the pipe material and a written repair estimate. We provide all of that with every inspection, and it pairs well with a full plumbing inspection.

Questions readers ask