Sewer camera inspection before buying a house in BC

What is a sewer camera inspection?

A sewer camera inspection is a video survey of the inside of a drain or sewer pipe. A plumber feeds a waterproof camera on a flexible cable into the line, usually through a clean-out, and watches the picture on a monitor as it travels toward the street. Home buyers often call it a sewer scope. Plumbers call it a camera inspection. They are the same job.

Should you get a sewer inspection when buying a house?

Yes, if the house is older, has large trees nearby or has any history of backups. The sewer line is buried, a standard home inspection usually doesn’t look inside it, and once the sale closes its problems are yours.

Consumer Protection BC, which licenses home inspectors in the province, describes BC home inspections as visual, non-invasive assessments of the accessible areas of a home. A pipe under the yard isn’t one of those areas, so seeing inside it takes a camera.

That responsibility is written into local rules. Metro Vancouver says about half of the region’s sewer system is made up of pipes on private property, and that owners are responsible for maintaining the sewer lines on their land. In Surrey, the owner is responsible for the pipe on the private side. In Vancouver, the owner is responsible for what goes into the line all the way to the City’s main.

A sewer line repair can involve digging up a yard or driveway. Finding out before you remove your conditions gives you room to negotiate or walk away.

What does a sewer camera inspection find?

It finds whatever is wrong inside the pipe and shows you where. The City of Vancouver lists breaks, flat spots, grease and root intrusions among the things a plumbing contractor can locate this way. A camera will show:

• Roots growing in through joints.
• Cracks, breaks and collapsed sections.
• Sags, also called bellies or flat spots, where water and waste sit.
• Joints that have shifted out of line.
• Heavy grease or scale on the pipe wall.
• What the pipe is made of, and where the material changes.

The footage is also a record of the pipe’s condition on the day you bought it.

Which houses need a sewer scope the most?

Older houses with mature trees are at the top of the list. Many still have original lines built from short sections of clay or concrete pipe, with a joint every few feet for roots to find. Book an inspection if any of these apply:

• The house is several decades old and the sewer line has never been replaced.
• Large trees stand between the house and the street.
• Drains were slow or gurgled when you viewed the house.
• The sellers mention a past backup, or you see a new clean-out and no explanation.
• There is a basement suite, since a backup comes out at the lowest drain first.

A new house on a new line is a lower risk. Construction debris and poorly sloped pipe do turn up in new builds, but less often.

What should a sewer inspection report include?

Ask for the video as well as the verbal summary. Vancouver’s advice to owners is to make sure the contractor provides photos or a recording as a record. A useful report includes:

• The full recording, with the distance counter visible on screen.
• Where the camera went in and how far it travelled.
• The location of each problem, measured from the entry point.
• The pipe material and its general condition.
• Whether the camera reached the city connection or was stopped by a blockage.

If the camera couldn’t get through, the line needs clearing before anyone can tell you what is behind the blockage.

Can the camera check the perimeter drains too?

Yes, and on an older house it is worth asking for both. The perimeter drains are a separate system from the sewer line. They carry groundwater and rain away from the foundation, and they fill with silt and roots in their own way. Our guide to perimeter drains explains what they do and the signs they are blocked.

When should you book a sewer inspection during a purchase?

Book it during your subject period, alongside the home inspection. The plumber needs access to a clean-out or another way into the line, so your realtor will have to arrange it with the sellers. If the house has no accessible clean-out, mention that when you call, because it changes how the camera gets in.

If you already own the house and have never had the line looked at, the same inspection applies. Surrey tells owners to hire a plumber to video the service connection, and Metro Vancouver recommends doing it at least once a decade.

What if the inspection finds a problem?

Get the problem described in plain terms: where it is, how bad it is and what fixing it involves. Some findings are maintenance, such as roots that need cutting or grease that needs jetting. Others are repairs, such as a collapsed section that has to be dug up and replaced. Our guide on tree roots in a sewer line explains why cutting roots is only a temporary fix.

With an estimate in hand, you can ask the sellers to repair the line, negotiate the price or decide the house isn’t for you.

How much does a sewer camera inspection cost?

The cost depends on how the camera gets into the line and how much pipe there is to inspect. A house with an outside clean-out is quicker than one where a toilet has to be pulled. Ask for the cost before the work starts and confirm that the recording is included.

When to call a plumber

Call a plumber when:

• You’ve made an offer on an older house and are inside your subject period.
• You own a house with mature trees and have never seen inside the sewer line.
• A drain keeps backing up and nobody has found out why.
• Your city has asked for camera proof of where a blockage is.

DrainX runs camera inspections on sewer lines and drains across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. You watch the same screen we do. Tell us the age of the house and whether there is a clean-out, and we’ll tell you what the inspection involves.