What is a Sewer Scope and Why do I need one?

Major sewer repairs can be expensive, ranging from $5,000 to upwards of $20,000. But it doesn’t always have to be like that. If you can detect sewer problems early, you don’t need to spend that much. How can you find issues on the sewer line if it’s underground? You can hire a professional to do a sewer scope for your home.

What is a sewer scope?

A sewer scope is a video inspection of the lateral sewer line leading from the house cleanout or toilet and connecting to the city tap or septic tank. The inspector inserts a camera from the cleanout or the toilet and records the condition of the pipes underground. By doing this, they can evaluate the line, see early signs of problems, and address them before it’s too late.

Here are some examples of sewer issues that a sewer scope can detect.

• Pipe corrosion – When pipe materials break down due to the environment
• Pipe shifting – When the pipe gets misaligned, which is usually caused but not limited to ground settling.
• Tree root intrusion – When a root works its way into the sewer line

These are just some of the many issues that a sewer scope can detect. If you haven’t noticed, the examples I gave are all caused by natural things that happen in the environment. Meaning no single home is safe from a sewer problem.

Because sewer lines are underground, even a newly built house is not safe from sewer line issues. Issues can be overlooked while setting up the pipe lines. Heavy types of equipment are being used during the construction, which may cause some shifting of the pipes underground.

There is no standard frequency when you need to do a sewer scope. For your peace of mind, we recommend a sewer scope inspection every time you buy a house, regardless if it’s new construction or not, and every 1-2 years.

A common question asked is if you need to do a sewer scope for a house that is on septic. The short answer is yes. The long answer is Yes, homes on septic still have pipes underground, so it’s still susceptible to the same issues houses that connect to the city lines have.



With all that being said, you can contact us at Blue Spruce Inspections if you have any other questions about sewer scope, or if you need a professional to do the sewer scope on your home. We use high-quality color cameras with self-leveling camera heads which makes it easier to evaluate the condition of the pipes.