Need help asap..

We have a house under contract. Part of the terms were that they would fix the foundation before close and add up to $5000 in repairs after the fact. If there were other repairs beyond that, we would be responsible. AND if we backed out after the fact, we would have to pay for the found. Repairs and damages.

Foundation repair was completed on Monday. The foundation folks had plumbers come do an inspection on Tues to confirm there were no broken pipes.

We get a plumbing report that says there's $20k in repairs needed. Basically that the whole system needs to be replaced. They charged $700 to run a camera and do the inspection, but there are no specific reports of where any breakage is. They just said that no water was seen going through the clean out when any water was turned on or toilets flushed.

But when I pressed them for answers about where the breakage was, they (the gal who answered the phones) said that the camera couldn't always pick it up because it was dark and sludgy. DUH! Again I pressed.. and she said that sometimes the pipes just rot through the bottom and you can't really see that.

My question is this.. what are the odds that this was just a pre-existing condition? And if there were breaks from the foundation repair, shouldn't the camera be able to pick that up?

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.. I just don't see how NO water could make it through to the clean out..

It sounds like a scam to me. 1, you could see if there was no water going past the clean out with a flashlight. 2- How far into the system did the camera go before they did see some water flowing? There had to be water flowing someplace if it was going straight into the pipe. And last of all, wouldn't anyone with a lick of sense check the pipes BEFORE doing the concrete repairs? I mean it just sounds stupid to pour new concrete that may need to be broken out to fix a bad pipe. I think you might need to contact an attorney, this sounds like you might have been set up.

Yes, we had two "inspections" done to my mother inlaws home in Atlanta, one by a well know national chain. Guess what they were both wrong and were basically frauds to sell a large service, So hard to say who to trust and if this is true or not.

I agree with Fr-Chuck... Get several other opinions before you draw any conclusions. Sewer replacement is big business for many plumbing companies. For customer, it is always an expensive bill to pay.

You don't say what state you are from. Our company here in So.California charges 150 dollars for sewer video inspection. We waive the charges if problem is found and we do the sewer replacement. But in any case, we ALWAYS provide our customer with CD showing video of their entire sewer - from point of entry all the way to the City connection in the street. We point out every bad joint in pipe, every "Y" connection, low points, root growth and possible breakages. In many cases, our customer stands right next to the monitor and views the entire video inspection in person as it happens.

I cannot imagine why the woman was so vague about telling you more about your sewer inspection. Here, it sounds pretty fishy to me...

They just said that no water was seen going through the clean out when any water was turned on or toilets flushed. Sounds like a rip to me! If it wasn't running past the cleanout then it was backing up in the house. Did you see any backups? No? Then the plumber's blowing smoke up your skirt.
How old a building are we talking about? What material are the pipes made of? I agree with the other experts. Smells fishy to me too. You're not getting the entire story here. Time to call in another plunbing company for a second opinion. Good luck and please keep me in the loop and informed. Good luck, Tom

Thanks everyone..

The pipes are cast iron and the house was built in '68. And we're in Tx.

The problem is more than just fixing the issue even.. it's the problem of who's responsibility it is too.

The agents are pusing to get more info from the plumbers.. Hate to spend another $750 with someone else right now.

And no, there are no backups in the house - though it's vacant.. everything "seems" to be flowing fine, they say it's just not coming out the clean out.

First we've got to figure out who's problem it is.. then that person can start paying for other inspections/opinions.. What a mess!

Thanks again.