Why it matters more here
Much of the housing across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley was built between the 1940s and the 1970s, on sewer lines made of clay, concrete or tar-fibre pipe. Those pipes are now past the age they were expected to reach. They take roots at the joints, they crack and they sag. A house can drain perfectly at a showing and still have a line that is one wet fall away from backing up.
The seller may not know. Unless a line has backed up, nobody has a reason to look.
What a camera can find
| Roots at the joints | Fine roots mean maintenance. Heavy roots at several joints mean the pipe needs repair. |
|---|---|
| A belly | A sagging section that holds water and collects solids. It cannot be cleaned away. |
| Cracks and offsets | Pipe that has cracked, or joints that have slipped out of line and catch paper. |
| Collapsed or missing pipe | Common with tar-fibre pipe, which flattens with age. |
| What it is made of | Clay, concrete, cast iron, tar-fibre, ABS or PVC, and where one changes to another. |
| Where everything is | Distance from the cleanout to each problem and, with a locator, where it sits in the yard and how deep. |
How to fit it into an offer
- Ask your realtor to include a sewer camera inspection alongside the home inspection in your subject conditions.
- Book it for the same day as the home inspection if you can. We need access to a cleanout, or we pull a toilet.
- Be there, or ask for the recording. You should come away with video, the pipe material, the length inspected and a plain description of anything found.
- If it shows a problem, get a written estimate for the repair before your subjects come off. That number is what you negotiate with.
- If it is clean, you have a dated record of the pipe's condition on the day you bought it.
In a hot market where offers go in without subjects, ask the seller's agent whether a recent scope exists, or have one done before you write the offer.
What it costs
Drain camera inspections are covered in our price guide: what a camera inspection involves and costs. Added to a clog visit, the camera is $249. Set that beside the cost of digging up and replacing a sewer line, which is a five-figure job on many properties once excavation, the connection and restoring the yard or driveway are counted.
Realtors: Pure Mechanical Group runs a partner program for agents. See realtor partners.
Questions people ask
Does a new house need one?
Less often, but yes if it is a rebuild on an old lot. Builders sometimes connect a new house to the old sewer line at the property line.
What about a condo or townhouse?
The building sewer is the strata's. Read the depreciation report and minutes for drain and sewer work instead. In a townhouse with its own line to the street, a scope is worth it.
Should I get one before selling?
It removes a surprise. A clean scope is a selling point, and a known problem with an estimate attached is easier to price than one the buyer's plumber finds.
Will the camera clear a blockage?
No. It only looks. If the line is blocked it has to be cleared first so the camera can get through and see the pipe wall.