Originally posted by @Samantha Miller:
Hey BP! Looking for some input on an inspection report.
I am under contract to purchase a 4 bed 1.5 bath row home in Philadelphia. This is my first home purchase, and I have little to no experience with real estate, construction, etc. The general inspector recommended, due to the age of the home (built 1925), that I have a plumber inspect the main sewer drain line with a camera. I was quoted at $350 for the service (discounted from $500) plus $10 for the disc of the camera recording. When the plumber arrived, he said would have to pull the basement toilet bowl in order to access the main sewer, and would have to charge an extra $200 to do this. He proceeded, but ultimately after 1-2 hours of trying he said he was unable to get the camera to bend around one area of the pipes to get to the outside trap. He was able to go left, but not right (again, I do not know really what this means, just reiterating the report). It says the camera showed "heavy scale going back toward stack", and that he "ran water - no back up at this time". He recommended "cleaning the main sewer, chiseling out cement, to remove vent plate for access into main". The company owner later clarified that bending any further would've risked breaking the $4,000 camera. I have not yet seen the camera footage, will receive the disc next week. However, with everything else he was able to inspect, no major concerns were raised that he felt would be reason to reconsider moving forward on the house.
My question is simply - does that sound right? Is it typical that I would still need to pay the full price even though he couldn't access part of the line? Would another plumber have been able to get down there? This might be totally fair and normal I just wanted to throw it out there for some feedback to make sure I am not getting screwed over due to my own lack of knowledge! I am trying to make sure I learn throughout this process.
Thank you!
Rip off? Yes and no.
The $200 to remove and reinstall a toilet is little excessive, because he should've assumed this on the price from the beginning. It's not too bad. It takes 20 minutes to remove and 20 minutes to reinstall.
The plumber probably couldn’t remove a cleanout to insert the camera, so the toilet is the only option. He had to do it, I guess.
My attempt to translate his comments are below,
"heavy scale going back toward stack",
This probably means your cast iron vent is heavily corroded and scale has fallen into the underground sewer. Vent cast iron pipe is the first to go. Keep this in mind, you may have cracks in the cast iron inside your building. Repalce as much as you can during your renovations.
"ran water - no back up at this time"
Although there is scale, the sewer flows water. This may stop larger solids, however.
"cleaning the main sewer, chiseling out cement, to remove vent plate for access into main".
He recommends jet rodding the sewer and installing a new cleanout.
Camera
I saw a plumbing contractor attach a string to the end of the camera. Through this technique, he was able to turn right and left, great contractor. This was for a high end commercial project, however.
You should expect work in the thousands to repair your underground and vent piping. Get a few quotes and be ready to negotiate. Schedule for the winter, contractors have much less work during that time. Ask them if they are busy, that will let you know who can lower their price.
Good luck,
Frank
