New to Real Estate · Vancouver, British Columbia · Member since 2022 · 157 posts · 86 votes
77 feet, cast iron and clay pipe. Home is built in 1952 on a slab. Findings are "Typical Root Intrusion", "Openings or inconsistencies noted in sewer line, signs of settling" recommendations are regular inspection and maintenance.
I'm not well versed on plumbing. How does this sound? I'm assuming the cast and clay pipes will eventually need to be replaced. In the video there were no large obstructions that I noticed. In the residential disclosure the sellers wrote that the main sewer was serviced in march 2020 and cleaned in march 2023. The inspector was told by the tenants that they got it cleaned a couple times. The video still shows some tree roots even after cleaning. But the water seems to be flowing well, no breaking was found and I'm told that no immediate action is needed.
Everything should be SMOOTH or you WILL get clogs.
If it was me, I'd be asking myself the following:
"do I want to get this repaired now and not deal with sewage comin up through my drains?"
Or
"do I want to wait until there's sewage coming up my drains and then get it repaired"
If the cast and clay were in good condition, they'd probably still have plenty of life left in them, but sounds like they are far from in good condition and will likely be a money pit and constant headache. If it were me, I'd budget for that and get it done as soon as possible, and at the same, solve the root (pun very much intended) causes to ensure it doesn't happen again with your new pipes.