Scope the Sewer Before Buying Intown

Updated 2026-10 · Atlanta, GA

The pipe the inspection skips

A general home inspection runs the taps, flushes the toilets and looks under the sinks. It does not look inside the lateral, because that takes a camera and a plumber. On a newer house that is a small gap. On a 1920s bungalow with its original clay line, in a city where the owner is responsible for the whole lateral down to the main, it is the single largest unknown in the house.

When to do it

During the due diligence period, while you can still negotiate or walk away. Book it early, because if the footage shows trouble you will want a second opinion or a repair quote before the period ends. Ask the seller’s agent where the cleanout is when you book; if there is none, the plumber may need to pull a toilet, which needs the seller’s permission.

What to look for on the footage

• Roots at joints: common, and the question is how many joints and how dense.
• Offset joints: sections that have shifted so the pipe steps down or sideways.
• Bellies: low spots where the line has sagged and water stands.
• Cracks and missing pieces in clay.
• Oval, blistered pipe: the signature of bituminous fibre (Orangeburg), which needs replacing.
• Where the camera stops: if it cannot reach the main, ask why.

Using what you find

If the line is sound, you have bought peace of mind for a few hundred dollars. If it is not, you have a document. A repair quote based on the footage is a concrete number to bring to the negotiation, either as a price reduction, a seller credit, or a repair before closing. Keep the video either way; it is useful to the next plumber and, eventually, to the next buyer.

Where to go next

• What lateral repairs cost
• Why the lateral is the owner’s problem
• Sewer line repair options