The Importance of Sewer Line Inspections for Toronto Homes

Over 5000 kilometres of sewer line pipes make up the network below Toronto, connecting homes and businesses to the water treatment plants and hydro stations. The vast majority of these pipes are managed and maintained by the city.

However, the homeowners should inspect the sewer systems that connect residences (to the extent possible) to ensure they are still in good condition. Homeowners should also understand where their responsibility ends and where the city’s responsibility begins regarding these pipe systems.

What Plumbers Look for With Sewer Line Inspections

There are many things that can damage the pipes in our homes—and the same goes for sewer lines. As these pipes lead away from the home and run under backyards and streets, there is the potential for more problems to occur and, subsequently, to go unnoticed until it is too late.

Before carrying out any renovations in the home or backyard, it is worth checking the sewer lines. Even a simple project such as a deck renovation has the potential to cause major problems.

Plumbers commonly check a number of things during a sewer line pipe inspection, including the following:

• Tree roots breaking through the pipes
• Pipes that have shifted due to the earth moving and are no longer aligned properly
• Broken pipes that could be leaking or that have collapsed in on themselves
• Corroded pipes and any signs of erosion 
• Clogs or blockages
• Burst pipes due to freezing

Any one of these issues may go undetected for a while, but will eventually become a large financial and time-consuming problem if left as is.

When should you inspect your sewer line pipes?

Each home and property is different, and so are the neighbourhoods in which they are situated. 

The purchase of a new house would be an excellent time for the first pipe inspection. This will not only alert you to any current problems, but will also determine what needs to be monitored. Then, the plumbers can advise you on when the next check should be done.

Regardless, there are many factors that need to be considered in terms of the frequency of inspecting and cleaning the pipes, including the following:

Age of the Home

How old is the home and the surrounding area? Newer homes are less susceptible to pipe issues, but they are not immune either. For instance, homes recently built in areas where trees have just been planted are at less risk of issues compared to older homes in areas with established trees and root systems.

Pipe Material

What are the sewer pipes made from? Lead pipes are being replaced as a priority due to their health risks. A sewer line inspection will help you to quickly see and determine if they need to be replaced. 

The construction of the pipes will also give you an idea of their quality. If they appear to have been constructed according to the standard codes, then they will be strong and durable.

Depth to the Water Table or Bedrock

Knowing how deep the pipes have been laid underground will help your plumber determine when they should be next checked.

If the sewer lines are too close to the water table or bedrock, there could be environmental factors that will cause disruption to the pipes and lead to issues sooner rather than later.

Cleaning Tools

The external pipes on your property should be cleaned and flushed on a semi-regular basis. The pipe inspection will determine this frequency, as well as the type of equipment that would be required and the number of technicians and plumbers needed to do it.

If the pipes are in good condition and are clean, then less equipment will be used and fewer technicians will be needed to carry out the work.

What is a sewer scope?

This is a specialty scope that is approximately six metres long. It is flexible and has a camera on the end that allows the plumber or operator to see and record the findings as they go. 

The scope is designed to bend around small obstacles while giving a clear picture of what it encounters. Fed through the pipe from the surface, the Toronto plumber guides the scope and assesses the pipe’s condition. They will look for debris and organic material buildup, and then determine the frequency of future scopes and cleaning.

Since the scope is assessing the sewer lines, access to the home is not needed. Therefore, this hour-long process does not require you to be home and will not cause interruptions to your day.

Signs Your Pipes May Need a Scope Inspection

While the sewer lines are of course located outside the home, there are a couple of lines that connect them to the property. This is how all household waste is moved outside.

So, if there are issues in the outside lines, depending on where they are, you can also notice some problems inside the home that should alert you to the need for a plumber.

For example, clogged toilets and drains, bubbling water in the bathtub drain, and other similar issues all normally indicate the need for a plumber. However, if such problems don’t clear up, or they reoccur, then the sewer line needs to be checked.

Contact the Plumbing Professionals

Sewer issues are never a good thing, and the last thing you need is a broken sewer line leading into your house causing flooding that may include raw sewage, or a leak in the yard leading to wet, swamp-like conditions. 

Your home should be sewage-free at all times, and the threat of a sewer line break should be faced head-on before it becomes a serious problem.

If you believe that your home has never had a scope inspection, or you have recently moved to your new home, call the Drain King Plumbers today to get that all-important check-up of the pipes. Our services are available 24/7, and our plumbers are experts in all aspects of plumbing. 

You can call us at 833-983-5663 or go online and book your sewer scope inspection and/or drain and sewer cleaning. While there, check out our other services that are all designed to help you keep on top of your plumbing needs.