There are a few reasons.

1. If you have been having any trouble with your sewer line it is a good idea to get an unbiased opinion of what is wrong with the line. That way you don’t have to trust the person who is trying to sell you the sewer work that needs to be done.
2. If you are buying a new house, you don’t want to move in and discover that you have clogged toilets or sewer backups that will require fixing after you have moved in.
3. In the state of California, the home owner is responsible for the home sewer line all the way up to where it meets the city connection (usually in the middle of the street). That means that if there is something wrong with the sewer line under the street you will have to be the one to pay to get it fixed. Sewer fixes under the street can be very expensive because the special permits and special contractors required to work on the city street.

If we are unable access the line through a standard cleanout then we will need to go in through either the roof vent or by removing a toilet. The best option is the roof vent, but if that is not workable then we will have to enter the building to remove a toilet. Removing the toilet will allow us to access the sewer line through the opening in the pipe just below. Toilet removal is not always successful. It is only successful about 50% of the time, however, once we have removed a toilet we charge the full price of the inspection whether we are able to get through the whole line or not.

Any additional sewer access inspected during the appointment is charged an additional $175. This is not a common issue, but there are a few reasons this could become necessary: 1. If the sewer line is exceptionally long (hundreds of feet long). Extra long sewer lines are common on Hillside properties, if the sewer line goes down the hill behind the house all the way to the street below. This is necessary sometimes because sewage usually needs to flow downhill and some of these hillside homes are built at a lower level than the street. NOTE: The exception to this would be if the property has a sewer pump that pushes all their waste water up to the street level and into a normal sewer pipe. 2.If the property has multiple structures (ie, a duplex or guest house or ADU). This does not automatically mean that there will be an additional charge. If we are able to get through the whole sewer line using just one access then we will not charge the additional fee. This is very common for properties with a converted garage.

That is the name for the opening to the sewer line. It is usually located somewhere near the front of the house and usually has a white or black cap on it which can be opened so we can insert a camera or maintenance equipment.

If there is no proper “Cleanout” to get into your sewer line there are a couple of ways that might work. The first option is through a roof vent. Each sewer system should be vented using pipes that go up to the roof. If your roof is able to be accessed and if the roofing material is not too delicate we may be able to bring our camera up there to push through the roof vent. This does not always work because those pipes are not always installed in a way that will let our camera push through. If that doesn’t work then there is the possibility that we might be able to get through your sewer line by removing a toilet and pushing the camera through the line using the exposed pipe underneath. Once again, this is not always successful because the pipes running from the toilet are not always installed in a way that will allow our camera equipment to push all the way through.

No, not usually. Usually a blocked sewer line means that there are roots growing into the sewer line and it should be cleaned out with routine maintenance. There are some extreme cases when a sewer line is so broken that it collapses and that will cause a blockage, but that is much less common than roots. Some types of sewer pipes have rough interior pipe walls. In that case, things can sometimes cling to that roughness and start to build up a blockage. It is for that reason that you should never flush wet-wipes or paper towels or anything other than regular toilet paper.

It depends on the material your sewer line is made of. If the roots are growing in the clay portion of your sewer line then it is pretty normal to see some roots getting in and you should set up a maintenance sewer cleaning every so often to keep those roots from getting too big. If the sewer line is made of cast iron then there should be no roots growing at all. If you have roots in your cast iron that means that the pipe has reached the end of it’s usable life and it is time to replace it. If you have roots growing in your plastic pipe it means that the pipe was either punctured at that location, or that the joint was not glued properly and there is a small opening for roots to get in. In either case, if it is severe enough you may need to spot-fix that location of the pipe.

Snaking is not a complete form of sewer cleaning. It will normally only punch a hole in the existing blockage. That should allow the water to drain out of the sewer line, however it will require more cleaning to get the full blockage removed. If you do not fully clear the blockage then your sewer will only take a short amount of time to back up again. You should consider Hydro jet cleaning which is an excellent solution to remove the full blockage once the water is drained out of the line.

Yes. We insert the camera into a sewer access port called a “Cleanout” and push it through your sewer line while recording a video.

Yes. We will record and narrate a video of the full inspection. We will upload your video to a location on the web, then we send you a private link that you can use to view the video. You may share this link with others and you may also download the video to your computer. The link will typically stay active for several years, in case you want to refer to it later.

Once you have paid your inspection fee we will send you the report as soon as it is ready. Our technicians are usually very quick about getting your reports and videos compiled and sent out. In fact, they often send it out the same evening, however, there are instances when the technician needs more time to complete the report. Our policy is to have the reports ready within 48 hours. Keep in mind that it will not be released until payment has been received.