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If you’re considering purchasing a home built cir. 1930, 1940, 1950 you may want to consider having the waste lines scoped. Homes built in this period may be equipped with cast iron waste pipes or even a a product known asOrangeburg. The statistical life span of cast iron waste pipes is 50 years. Although they can last much longer, they are subject to their environment and use.
Cast iron waste pipes can deteriorate rapidly when buried in acidic soils.
And counter-intuitively, cast iron pipes like to be wet. When left dry, these pipes can collapse and fall apart. Cast iron pipes can also occlude with polyp like nodules
Roots are a serious concern for any type of waste pipes. Roots get into the pipes as they age, especially at the hub connections, and clog the drain.
Even modern ABS Plastic pipes can have issues including “bellying”, blockages, etc.
Be sure to consult the current owners, occupants or their representatives if there has ever been any history of failure, blockages or repairs. Request documentation of repairs. If the pipes in the house have not been updated or repaired, we routinely recommend having the pipes professionally scoped.
A Borescope is a miniature, water-proof video camera at the end of the flexible tube. The tube is fed through the “clean out” or some location in or just at the perimeter of the house and typically run to the street or the city sewer.
While some blockages or issues can be repaired, waste pipe replacement can be a very expensive issue ($3k to 10k) and is a component of the home that cannot be inspected without specialized equipment. As homes age this concern will become more and more relevant.
We offer waste plumbing scoping services with all our inspections as an add-on service.
The cost of a typical scoping is $250 to $450 but can be more if runs are longer, more complicated or if obstructions the pipes cause delays.
