Fall is a great time to get a professional sewer scope inspection performed at your home. If you’ve just constructed summer decking, have trees growing on your premises, or simply have lived at your property for a long time, chances are your home’s sewer lines may be clogged, blocked, damaged, or deteriorated, and in urgent need of repairs. Sewer problems can be costly to fix if left unaddressed. This AmeriSpec blog explains how our professional sewer scope inspections work in 10 simple steps.
A sewer scope works in these 10 simple steps
- A sewer inspector arrives
- Inspector locates the best place to perform the sewer scope
- The inspector removes the basement pipe cap with gloves
- Inspector turns on the water supply
- Then, the inspector scans the area with his/her sewer scope camera
- Inspector feeds his/her camera cable into the pipe
- The inspector identifies common blockages and/or any other issues
- Inspector takes notes about blockages and any other issues encountered
- The inspector retrieves his/her camera line from the pipe
- Inspector seals the pipe cap
1. A sewer inspector arrives
On the day of your sewer scope, the professional inspector you have been assigned will promptly arrive at your property at the agreed upon scheduled time. If you have any urgent questions for your inspector, make sure these have been documented ahead of time. Conducting building inspection services since 1994, we are Canada’s leading home inspection company. As such, you can expect only the most knowledgeable inspectors and the stellar customer service to match.2. Inspector locates the best place to perform the sewer scope
Firstly, your drain scope inspector will locate the best place in your home to perform the drain scope. If you already know where this is, you can save your inspector time by pointing them in the right direction. However, if you don’t know, our inspectors will find this for you. Most of the time, the entrance to your home’s drains and sewer lines is in your basement or crawlspace.3. The inspector removes the basement pipe cap with gloves
After accessing your basement, or the alternative location where your sewer line entrance is based, the inspector will remove the pipe cap with gloves. This is done so that the inspector doesn’t get any dirt or mucky residue on their hands that could otherwise be transported around your home. Always performing the cleanest jobs possible, your inspector will then feed a water hose into your home’s sewer line.4. Inspector turns on the water supply
After the water hose has been fed into your drain or sewer line, the inspector will gently turn on your home’s water supply. This is an essential part of any professional sewer scope inspection because the water helps push our retractable sewer scope camera equipment along.5. Then, the inspector scans the area with his/her sewer scope camera
Next, your inspector will set up their sewer scope camera equipment. Scanning the immediate area, your inspector will make sure they are all set to accurately assess the condition of the pipe section inside your property. Without modern-day sewer scope camera technology like ours, this task would be impossible for homeowners.6. Inspector feeds his/her camera cable into the pipe
Next, your inspector will carefully feed their camera cable into your home’s pipe system, running the cable the entire length of the sewer line until it reaches the street pipe. Our professional sewer scope inspectors will pause every so often to accurately assess any possible obstructions or instances of damage or deterioration.7. The inspector identifies common blockages and/or any other issues
Over the years, our sewer scope inspection service has helped homeowners and realtors successfully identify many common sewer problems, such as:- Tree root infiltration causing blockages or cracks in a home’s sewer system
- Offset or misaligned pipes
- Broken, collapsed, or cracked pipes that must be replaced
- Blockages caused by limescale or grease build-up
- Pipe corrosion or deterioration
- Sunken or “bellied pipe” sections that can disrupt the flow of the sewer system
- Leaking joints from improper installation or deterioration over time
- Damage caused by deck installations or other home renovations