my son is buying a home. can an inspector tell if tree roots are causing or will cause a sewer line problem?
it is a very large tree with huge roots that extend to the house and visible on top of the soil. he wants the house but i am warning him of the potential problem. he will go ahead with the sale unless an inspector shows him there is a problem. can an inspector tell if there will be? i dont think there has been a problem yet--but i think there is a real possibility in the future. a friend had to have her sewer line replaced due to roots. but how can you tell beforehand if there is or will be a problem...any telltale signs to look for??
Public Comments
- The only you may could tell is to look and see if the sewer line is clay pipe or PVC. Clay will break when the roots grow on it. PVC is less likely to have problems.
- The inspector is only going to be able to identify slow drains which might indicate that there is a tree root problem, though there are other causes of slow drains. If your son is really worried about it, he'll have to hire a plumber, get permission from the home owners and have the plumber camera the drains. Even, then, it will only tell that there is or isn't a problem now, not that there might be a problem in the future.
- don't think the inspector will look inside the pipe to see if roots are going to cause any problems....he can only suggest that u get a plumber to run a camera down the pipes
- NO the inspector works for himself. Hire a plumper to run a snake and make homeowners pay. I rented a house like that. Landlord had know clue but it was tree roots.
