Mainline Inspection Services

03/17/2026

We finally made it to the big time with an on-air radio interview on the Gary Sullivan Show.

At Home with Gary Sullivan is a top-rated, nationally syndicated home improvement radio show and podcast hosted by home repair expert Gary Sullivan. Heard on over 200 stations, it offers practical advice on DIY projects, product recommendations, and expert tips on building, remodeling, and maintaining homes—and we were fortunate enough to be interviewed on the show this past weekend.

At Home with Gary Sullivan is a top-rated, nationally syndicated home improvement radio show and podcast hosted by home repair expert Gary Sullivan. Heard on over 200 stations, it offers practical advice on DIY projects, product recommendations, and expert tips on building, remodeling, and maintaini...

01/15/2026

A 50-metre deep sinkhole has opened up between a police station and a hospital in central Bangkok on Wednesday (September 24), according to Thai officials.Th...

01/15/2026

A very common thing we hear about pre-purchase inspections is that newer houses with PVC pipe do not need to be inspected. Attached are two images of two separate sewer lines at two separate houses that were inspected within a day of one another—both showed evidence of damaged pipe.

10/12/2025

It's been a long time since I've posted--but I came across this video and thought it was a pretty good analogy to what happens to a house's slab/foundation when the underground drain lines are compromised and allows wastewater to exfiltrate from the pipe and into the soil beneath the house. If during a walk-through of a house/building you are considering buying you observe cracked and/or buckled sections of the floor slab--just think about this video.

A 50-metre deep sinkhole has opened up between a police station and a hospital in central Bangkok on Wednesday (September 24), according to Thai officials.Th...

12/14/2021

Which list are you on this year?...

09/24/2021

There are some people in the real estate business who think pre-purchase sewer line inspections are unnecessary. We here at MIS have a decidedly different point of view.

09/07/2021

Tree seeds sprouting in the sewer line, worm hanging from a joint; as once quoted by the great Dr. Ian Malcom—“Life finds a way”.

07/28/2021

THIS IS WHY it is important to not only inspect a sewer (and/or drain line) when purchasing a home or building—but why it is also equally important to locate the line.

Problems with a sanitary system don’t always begin and end with the condition of the pipe. These images are of a recent pre-purchase inspection that revealed a few issues that could be potentially significant.

The exterior lateral line runs parallel along the exterior front wall of the house (beneath the front porch), and then continues to run into the adjoining/separate property. Additionally, the line appears to be shared lateral line—and may also potentially be a private line. Hopefully, there is an existing easement on record with the county—which would give the potential owner the legal right to gain access to the line, even if it’s located on another’s property. However, if there isn’t, then a determination would need to be made as to whether this situation falls under the terms of a “Prescriptive Easement”—which is an easement upon another's real property acquired by continued use without permission of the owner for a legally defined period of time. One can imagine the potential implications of such a situation—especially when you’re dealing with a collapsed pipe and raw sewage backing up into the basement.

What is a Shared Lateral Line? A shared or side sewer line, is a lateral house drain connection that is shared by more than one house. This arrangement is common when factors prohibit each building from having its own individual sewer line. While this type of plumbing layout may be more cost-effective for the municipality to employ, it can cause trouble between neighbors when repairs need to be made.

What is a Private Line? When two or more houses are built on parcels located away from the city main, it usually will not be practical or possible for each house to have its own sewer line running to and tapping/connecting to the city sewer. Private lines are privately-owned sewer lines shared by two or more properties. These lines commonly access the public sewer system through a private sewer line located in the public right-of-way, or a private line crossing adjacent privately owned properties. The property owners are usually 100% responsible for the maintenance, repair and/or replacement of private sewer lines. In some cases, though, there may be an existing Easement Agreement stipulating the degree of responsibility of each property owner.

Also worth noting: The section of line that runs to the neighboring property runs beneath the front porch—and potentially beneath the basement slab of the house, making the prospect of a repair all that more problematic.
Spy Before you Buy—both inside and out.

04/16/2021

Made a new friend today while inspecting a downspout line 😆

Have a great weekend!

04/10/2021

04/09/2021

We got a call from an insurance adjuster who wanted a second opinion on an estimate to repair a collapsed sewer line that one of their customers was filing a claim on. The contractor they first called quoted them close to $11,000 just to do what they called an "exploratory dig". We thought that was "a bit" high by several thousand dollars. We provided them thorough inspection, report and estimate, and suggested that they contact at least 3 other contractors.

Thank you Herb Somers of Erie Insurance for reaching out, we hope we can help you again some time down the road.