Camera the main line before you buy.
We run a video camera down the home’s main sewer line — from the cleanout out to the city lateral — to find roots, breaks, bellies, and corrosion you’d never see otherwise. You get a written report and a video of the whole run.
The most expensive surprise a buyer can inherit.
A failed sewer line rarely costs under $1,500 to fix and climbs toward $15,000 fast — on any age of home. And scopes are becoming standard: skip one now, and when you sell, the buyer’s scope will surface any problem — and it’s yours to fix, even if it was there when you bought.
The problems hiding underground.
The main line is buried, out of sight, and expensive to fix. Here’s what the camera catches before it becomes your bill.
Root intrusion
Tree and shrub roots work into old joints and cracks — the most common cause of main-line failures in older Portland homes.
Breaks & collapse
Cracked, offset, or fully collapsed pipe from age, ground movement, or shifting soil.
Bellies & ponds
Settlement that leaves low spots where the line no longer drains, catching waste and causing repeat backups.
Corrosion
Deteriorating cast-iron and older pipe walls that thin, flake, and eventually fail.
Misaligned joints
Offset or separated joints where sections have shifted — leak points and snag points for debris.
Grading issues
Improper slope along the run that keeps the line from carrying waste the way it should.
A camera down the line, start to finish.
We enter through an accessible cleanout — outside the home or in the basement. When there isn’t one, we go through the roof vent stack.
A camera on a flexible, snake-style line travels the main all the way out to the city lateral, viewed live on a monitor so we read the condition as we go.
You get a written report and a YouTube video of the entire run — cleanout to city lateral — so you and your agent see exactly what we saw.
Proof you can watch and share.
- ✓Written reportA clear summary of the line’s condition and anything of concern.
- ✓YouTube video of the full runThe entire line from cleanout to city lateral — watch exactly what we saw.
- ✓Bundle or stand-aloneAdd it to your home inspection for one visit, or book the scope on its own.
We scope. We don’t repair.
Many companies that scope sewer lines also sell the repairs — a reason to find problems. We don’t do repairs, so there’s no upsell and no conflict of interest. Just a straight read on the line.
Straightforward pricing.
Standard pricing assumes an accessible cleanout; additional fees apply when none is present. Multifamily, commercial, and properties outside the Portland metro are quoted individually. Prices effective 9/15/25 and subject to change. Call 503-310-2612 for a quote.
“Because it was an older house, they recommended scoping the sewer line — it gave us real peace of mind to know what we might be dealing with before we bought.”
“He recommended a sewer scope, and it was a good thing — the scope found problems with the pipe we’d never have known about otherwise.”
“They’ve scoped dozens of sewer lines for my clients — always on time, easy to work with. When I need someone I trust to evaluate a line, this is who I call.”
Sewer scope questions, answered.
Do I really need a sewer scope?+
How do you access the line?+
What do I actually receive?+
Do you also do the repairs?+
Can you scope during my home inspection?+
Know the line before you sign.
Add a scope to your inspection, or book it on its own — online, by phone, or text.