Historic Homes and Sewer Lines
/Today we’re going to discuss one of the most glamorous parts of home ownership - sewer lines! They aren’t something you think about much, but when they are inoperable they cause lots of problems and can be expensive to fix.
Most sewer lines are built to last 50-100 years so when you’re looking to buy a home that is somewhere in that age range, it’s a good idea to have the sewer line scoped as part of your inspection. A scope of the line usually costs around $200. I consider it money well-spent because if the line is faulty it can cost over $10,000 to fix. Knowing the state of the line before you buy is definitely better than being surprised by a $10,000 repair after you move in.
In historic homes I’ve seen a couple of typical materials used when the sewer lines were laid. The first is clay pipe. Clay pipes have been used for thousands of years. There were clay pipes in Babylonia in 4000 BCE! In houses in the Salt Lake Valley clay pipes are typically seen in houses built before the 1950s. They have a typical life span of 50-60 years. Many of our original homes here in the valley are well past that age. Because of that we are starting to see more and more clay lines failing and needing to be replaced. Also, Salt Lake City government has been recommending insuring your sewer line with Home Serve insurance company. You pay a nominal yearly fee to them and a deductible and they cover the rest of the expense of a repaired sewer line. I have heard of hiccups getting lines fixed immediately with the company as can happen when filing insurance claims at times. I don’t have person experience with Home Serve.
The next type of line I’ve seen often in the area is cast iron. That’s a material that was used mostly from the 1950s to the 1970s. It’s a good material and typically lasts 75-100 years.
Another type of pipe is transite. That was also used in t 1950s to 1970s. I had this type of line in one of my old houses and even though it was right next to a huge sycamore tree, it was in excellent shape! It typically lasts about 70 years.
The final type of line I’ll mention is PVC or plastic line. This type of line has been used since around the 1940s and even more so after the 1970s. They typically last about 100 years too. I don’t see a lot of PVC lines myself because they are in newer homes that aren’t as important to scope yet.
Sewer lines can be damaged by old age, corrosion, tree roots, and improper use. And when they break, it’s not always a cheap and easy fix. That’s why I recommend to all of my buyers of older homes to pay the money to have it scoped. Then you purchase your home armed with better knowledge which is always a good thing.