Sewer scoping allows us to view the inside of the sewer lateral line connecting your home to the city sewer or your septic system.  We can identify a range of issues that are very costly to repair, which you'll want to know about prior to purchasing a home!

Sewer Scope Inspection - (Book your Sewer Scope Inspection HERE):

As a Duluth, MN based InterNACHI Certified Sewer Scoping Inspectors, we see things that other inspectors don't!  Our cutting edge HD video sewer scoping camera (with 165' cable) - allows us to view, record HD video of the process, and capture images of points in underground sewer lateral lines (the sewer line connecting your house to the city sewer or septic system) in stunning quality. 

The underground sewer lateral line, which connects the home to the city sewer at the street (otherwise known as the "main sewer line"), is the financial responsibility of the home owner.  Many of the sewer lateral lines in the Duluth area, particularly in old neighborhoods, are original clay or cast iron lines - which have often already exceeded their expected lifespan.  When a sewer lateral line requires repair or replacement, it is often a very costly project - typically costing $5,000 - $20,000 for repair or replacement.  For this reason, we suggest everyone purchasing a home have a sewer scope inspection done and getting "main sewer line" coverage on your homeowner's policy.  

Similar to how a home inspection often find deferred maintenance or issues the previous owner may not have been aware of - Sewer Scope Inspections often find a variety of issues (see the illustration below for a graphic representation).  While sometimes we find major issues, othertimes we find that the Sewer Lateral Line simply needs a good cleaning to help ensure reliable service.  After evaluating 

When doing a sewer scope inspection, we provide you a HD quality video of our camera's entire journey (provided as a web link, using our interactive inspection software) from the basement sewer cleanout or from the plumbing roof stack vent all the way to the city sewer line (or septic system).  We follow InterNACHI's Sewer Scoping SOP - to ensure clients the best possible service!

We often find various issues with sewer lateral lines in both old & new homes - all of which are good to know about, & some of which require professional repair.  If left unaddressed, these issues could lead to a sewage backup in your home.  In addition to identifying what material the sewer line is made of & the distance from the cleanout to the city tap, few of these common issues include:

• Tree Roots:  Tree roots are a commonly found defect in Duluth, MN area sewer lines.  Trees need water, and there is much water in sewer lines.  Tree roots often find small cracks in sewer lateral pipes, make their way into the pipe, and cause blockages & enlarge cracks.

• Scaling:  Cast iron sewer lateral lines (which are common in our area) corrode and can slowly fill themselves up with rust & corrosion, which attracts other debris.  This is similar to a blood vessel being restricted by high cholestorol, which can lead to a total blockage - a big problem.  Scaling generally indicates that the sewer lateral is overdue for cleaning.

• Obstructed sewer line:  Sewer lines can become obstructed by corrosion, grease, broken pieces of pipe, foreign items, organic materials, and other items.

• Cracked / leaking sewer line:  Sewer lines can develop small or large cracks due to aging of the pipe material (expecially older clay tile or cast iron lines common here in the Duluth area), defective materials (such as Orangeberg), root intrusion, or overly agressive sewer line cleaning.  

• Low area in the sewer line:  Otherwise known as a "belly", low areas in the sewer line slow down the flow of waste, allow liquids & solids to pool, and increase the liklihood of a blockage in the sewer line and increasing the likelihood of a costly repair being necessary in the future.  

• Collapsing sewer line:  Sewer lines can be partially or entirely collapsed, due to aging of the line material, extremely heavy vehicles driving over them, and improper installation 

• Whole house trap:  Whole house traps were the preferred way of preventing sewer gas from entering homes prior to the 1960's.  They restrict maintenance, accumulate debris, prevent sewer scoping cameras from inspecting the sewer line beyond the trap, and often cause expensive problems.  If we encounter a whole house trap when sewer scoping a home - we cannot proceed beyond the whole house trap and recommend removal of the trap.  

We strongly recommend all home inspection clients have their sewer line scoped at the time of the inspection - to avoid a costly surprise in the future!

PRICING FOR SEWER SCOPING:  

• $200:  When done with a Premium Home Inspection & Report

• $300: When done on it's own, not as part of a home inspection

218 Inspect Service Area:  The following towns are the core of my local service area.  If you are looking for an inspection outside of this area, reach out to me!  My service area includes (in alphabetical order):  Barnum, Beaver Bay, Carlton, Cloquet, Cromwell, Duluth, Esko, Hermantown, Island Lake, Knife River, Larsmont, Moose Lake, Proctor, Saginaw, Silver Bay, Two Harbors, Wrenshall