Many potential homeowners would jump at the chance to own an older home. Everything from the midcentury charm of an older home to the intricate details of a Victorian house are just a few of the features that draw us into these amazing homes. However, with owning an older home, especially one that is more than 20 years old, there comes the need for many of the systems that make a home a home inspected so that you can enjoy it for years to come. One of the inspections that you would be wise to have done is a sewer inspection.
Older homes have sewer pipes that are often outdated and made of materials that deteriorate, crack, and have root intrusions over time. A sewerage and drainage inspection can also prevent other issues from forming due to ground shifting.
There can be a myriad of hidden issues that can occur in older homes that are not visible to the surface that drain inspection services can uncover. So, for little cost now, having potential issues found with a camera inspection can save you thousands if they go undetected and unresolved.
Lastly, a sewage inspection can reveal problems with your sewer lines, such as settling issues that affect pipe alignment, leaks and cracks in sewage pipes, and pipe blockages.
The California rains finally got to you. You have a den area with soaked carpet and a couch halfway soaked, cushions and all. There are two enormous ceiling locations with growing wet marks. The front room event must have happened during the night while you and your husband were sleeping in the back of the house. A contractor and carpet installer have arrived and are trying to salvage what they can and put down lots of fans. Unfortunately, some rain is expected maybe tonight. Guess you and your husband will take turns checking, and maybe even emptying buckets! Not a fun start to 2016, especially since you have 15 people coming over tomorrow night.
And just when you think the “fun” will never end, the plumber who showed up later in the day said that he expects the ground water may be rising faster than what is coming in through the ceiling. Worse yet, he says there are some major blockage issues with your agin sewer system. What next!
Maybe trenchless sewer repair is what should be next. If you live in a home that is at least 40 years old, many sewer experts recommend a camera drain inspection, as well as a camera inspection of the entire line. If the worst news is delivered after all of these inspections and you find yourself needing to replace an entire system, trenchless sewer repair is an option that can cause limited amount of damage.
Trenchless sewer methods entered the residential market in the year 2000. Though previously used for commercial sewer work, trenchless sewer repair in residential neighborhoods is not as well known. Although the process can initially seem more expensive, it can, in fact, save you money. If you can eliminate the need to tear up and reinstall sidewalks, patios, lawns, flowers and other landscaping, many of the headaches, and a significant portion of the cost, of traditional sewer line repair can be avoided.
A cured-in-place-pipe, also known as CIPP installation, involves a jointless and seamless pipe within a pipe system is another option for trenchless sewer repair projects. Rather than dig up old, compromised pipes, CIPP can fit inside old pipes that are anywhere from four inches in diameter, to much larger 110 inch in diameter. Even though it is actually housed inside an older pipe system, CIPP comes with the same kind of warranty that new pipes have, fifty years.
If you find yourself is an increasingly dangerous and destructive situation caused by old sewer damage, it might be time to do the research and find out what options you have for sewer repair and replacement.