When you buy a home, it's standard to have a home inspection. It allows buyers to get a heads-up about potential problems down the road, as well as poor construction or dangerous wiring. But many new buyers skip one area during that inspection, which could turn into a major repair costing thousands of dollars.
One family is now facing a financial nightmare as a result, just weeks after moving into their new home.
Flooding problems
Luke Rhynalds is a disabled veteran who just moved into his first home, only to be welcomed by a flood a few days after taking possession of the property.
"We went into the basement and it was flooded with six inches of water in it," he said.
He showed photos of the flood on his phone, saying, "That's all water, you can see it's reflecting the whole way around."
Worse, a plumber they called had some very bad news for Rhynalds and his wife.
The outflow pipe to the city sewer had collapsed.
Rhynalds paid $9,000 to replace part of it under the floor, but says an even bigger bill is coming.
"There is another 25-foot piece of pipe that runs underneath my driveway," he explained, "that is going to cost about $30,000 to replace all of it."
Rhynalds said they had a home inspection, but it turns out that standard inspections do not include sewer pipes.
"I thought that would be included in the inspection, but apparently not," he said.
Their inspector, while thorough, never saw that the sewer line was in the process of collapsing.
The importance of a sewer inspection
There is a simple solution for other home buyers.
Kellen King, a sewer line inspector with Apollo Home Services, said the inspection is done with a camera and a cable.
"This is the sewer camera, this one has about 200 feet of cable on it," he said, uncoiling a giant reel.
For around $400, he says, plumbing companies like his will inspect your drain line, all the way down to the street.
"What you're looking for is roots or cracks in the piping, offset joints, or 'bellying,'" he said.
Under this particular house, King found trouble brewing.
"Look where that lip is," he said, pointing to an iPad with a live video feed. "That is where it is starting to separate."
King says every home buyer should have a sewer inspection, to avoid a potential $10,000 or higher repair.
"I've seen multiple times where a customer moved in," he said, "and two or three months later, their basement is flooded with sewage, and they had no idea."
Rhynalds is now checking to see if any veterans groups may be able to help him because underground water lines are not covered by basic homeowners insurance policies.
"People need to know to get every type of inspection, every type," he said.
Rhynalds wishes he had known.
"I went from having a nest egg of savings to having nothing now, and that's not even all of it," he said.
So get that sewer line inspection, so you don't waste your money.
