A standard home inspection can't see underground — and that's where some of the most expensive surprises hide. A sewer inspection (also called a sewer scope or sewer camera inspection) sends a high-resolution camera down the main sewer line, from the home to the connection at the street or septic, so you know the condition of the one system you can't check any other way before you buy.
What a sewer camera inspection finds
We're looking for the problems that turn into five-figure repairs: root intrusion from Florida's fast-growing trees, cracks and breaks, bellies (low spots where waste pools), blockages, old patch jobs, and collapsed or offset pipe. Running a camera down the sewer line is the only way to see them — and you watch the same footage we do, so there's no guessing.
The cast iron problem in older homes
Many older homes in Naples, Fort Myers, and across Southwest Florida were plumbed with cast iron — and cast iron doesn't last forever. It corrodes and flakes from the inside out, the pipe walls break down, and it fails first at the bends, exactly where you can't see it. A sewer line camera inspection is the only way to know whether the line under a 1970s or 1980s home has years left or is living on borrowed time.
Why it matters before you buy
Sewer line repair isn't cheap, and it's almost never visible in a standard inspection. We once recommended a scope to a buyer who passed on it. A month after closing, they had to replace the line — $70,000. A sewer inspection is some of the cheapest insurance in the entire transaction: a small, flat cost to rule out a very large one.
What a sewer scope costs
A sewer scope is a flat $320 add-on to your inspection. Set against a repair that can run tens of thousands, it's the easiest decision in your due diligence. Call (239) 826-5866 to add it to your booking.
How the sewer camera inspection works
We run the camera through an existing cleanout where one's available, or the sewer stack when it isn't. The line does need an access point we can reach — if there's genuinely no way in, we'll tell you straight rather than guess. The footage and findings from the drain camera go right into your report, so you and your agent have a clear record.
Sewer camera inspection near you in Southwest Florida
We add sewer inspections to home inspections across the region, including: