A sewer scope is a camera inspection of the buried pipe that carries waste from the house to the city main or septic system. It catches expensive problems that a standard home inspection simply can't see.
Get a free quote that includes a sewer scope and find out what's happening in the one part of the home you can't walk through.
A sewer scope is a video inspection where a specialized waterproof camera is fed through a cleanout or drain access and down the home's main sewer lateral — the pipe running from the house to the municipal main or septic tank. The inspector watches the live feed to spot cracks, collapses, root intrusion, low spots that hold water (“bellies”), and blockages.
Because this pipe is buried underground, none of it is visible during a standard home inspection. A failed lateral is one of the costliest surprises a new homeowner can face, which is why we strongly recommend it on older Hutchinson homes.
Many Hutchinson and McLeod County homes were built when clay (vitrified) or even Orangeburg pipe was standard. Those materials crack and deteriorate with age, and the mature trees that make our neighborhoods beautiful send roots straight toward the moisture in the line. A sewer scope tells you whether the lateral has decades of life left or is on the edge of failure — information that's far cheaper to learn before closing than after.
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Tree roots find tiny gaps at pipe joints and grow into a mass that catches debris and blocks flow.
Age, ground movement, and freeze-thaw cycles crack older clay and cast-iron lines.
A sag in the line collects waste and water, causing repeated backups.
Shifting soil pulls pipe joints apart, letting soil in and waste out.
Orangeburg and deteriorated clay pipe that are near or past their service life.
Grease, debris, or collapsed sections that restrict the line right now.
A sewer scope is one of several add-ons that round out a complete picture of the home. Browse the full Learning Center, explore our defect library, or see the complete 120-point home inspection. We serve Hutchinson and all of McLeod County.