Why a Sewer Inspection is Vital When Buying a New Home

When buying a home, the plumbing is usually the last thing on your mind. You're thinking about the price, the neighborhood, schools for your kids, financing, any number of things other than the plumbing of the house in question. Many homeowners overlook this very vital and necessary piece of information, and end up paying for it a few years down the road.

If the house you're looking at buying is over 15 years old, you will definitely need a Toronto sewer inspection. Many problems can occur in the drain lines under the house. The most common problems being a tree root growing into and intruding on a pipe, or a cracked, clogged, or broken pipe.

Get a Sewer Inspection Before Buying

Sewer inspections are quick jobs that plumbers can perform in just a couple hours using new equipment such as CCTV video cameras. They can look inside the house's plumbing and see the conditions of the pipes. This is very vital information for you to have as a home buyer.

If the house is old, the pipes could be cracking. An inspection will turn this up before you buy and it becomes your problem.

If you discover bad piping you then have a bargaining chip to use when negotiating for the house. You could demand to have the problems fixed before you buy, or knock the price down a bit for bad plumbing.

Overlooking a sewer inspection can lead to some very big headaches in the future. Possible property damage, huge plumbing bills, the house could even be condemned if it's bad enough. So, don't put yourself in that position, and stay informed. The condition of a house's plumbing could potentially be the most important piece of knowledge of all when considering whether to buy a home.

If you don't want to pay the plumber's bill out of your pocket, ask the current owners or bank if the plumbing has been inspected recently. If it has, there is a possibility that the CCTV footage the plumber took has been saved. If so, ask if you can look it over. If not, move along.

Considering In-Ground Piping?

When it comes to in-ground piping nearly every plumbing system out there will have some pipes in the ground. It most likely is sewer service line. Often time’s people will need to add or modify their plumbing when renovating their home. We always recommend that you acquire the services of a professional Toronto plumbing contractor when it comes to this sort of work. If you have and uncertainties of the risks or proper procedures involved in this work – get a professional to do it for you.  That said there are some basics to in-ground piping that should adhered to.

Consider the Weight

One issue that must be addressed when dealing with in-ground piping is the considerable weight that is above the pipes. The installation of the pipes must be able to withstand the weight of the soil and concrete that will be above them. So when digging out the trench for the pipes it’s important to ensure that they are completely uniform. If there is a bulge in the ground it can eventually squish the pipe and press it out of true shape. Alternatively, if there are empty spaces below the pipe it can cause the pipe to break or sag. These problems need to be worked out before you can consider the installation of in-ground pipes a success, as these problems will require you to tear up your ground in the future if you don’t have them taken care of sufficiently before you pour the flooring.

Protect Your Plumbing

Chances are pretty good that labourers and concrete workers will bump into your work so it’s best to protect the placement of your drains, and stack risers steady their position using a pipe holder attach to a piece of rebar that’s hammered into the ground. This will make sure that your plumbing stays exactly as you want. Further, make sure that any drains or openings are protected from debris, you can wrap the drain covers in tape or cover them with bags to ensure that they are 100% free from debris entering into them.