A transition from cast iron to clay where you can see roots were recently removed, but are already starting to grow back.
A sewer lateral is the sections of pipe that go from the house out to the cities sewer line or to the septic tanks on the property. It is not a system of the home that we normally spend a lot of time thinking about. When you do have to think about it it is normally not a pleasant experience. A week after moving into my first home my wife and I had the pleasure of experiencing a sewer backup. She went to her parents while I rented a sewer auger and spent a few hours learning how to clear roots from a sewer line and even more time removing carpet, cleaning and disinfecting the basement were the backup occurred (and myself post-cleanup). In my case it was simply some roots that had made there way in and blocked everything from flowing out properly, however in some cases it is not that simple.
Sewer line repairs/replacement can cost between $50-$200 per foot, along with landscaping repairs in the areas were digging is required. In most cases it is approximately 100-115 feet from your home to the city sewer line. This is not an expense most people are excited to shell out thousands of dollars for. The average repair costs in the US are between $2000-$5000 but a full sewer line replacement is normally $10,000+ Thankfully now days the technology makes it fairly easy to do a thorough inspection of the sewer lateral. A sewer video inspection will provide a video of the full inspection along with photos of any problem areas that are found. An inspector will run a specialized camera through the sewer pipes to verify the material they are made of, the condition of the pipes, any present defects and the approximate location of any defects if any are present.
Having your sewer line inspected is normally a couple hundred dollars and can usually be done at the same time as your home inspection. I recommend a sewer video scope on every home, because even new pipes can have defects or installation issues. I HIGHLY recommend a video inspection it the sewer lateral is older than 30 years! Although a lot of the defects found are usually on cast iron or clay sewer lines there is no way to tell for sure without inspecting the system. When defects are found and repairs are needed you can negotiate with the sellers for repairs/replacement or have the issue addressed before your basement is flooded with unwanted sewer water.
Danny Geurink, Certified Master Inspector
Your Grand Rapids Home Inspector
