How Much Does A Plumbing Inspection Cost? [2023 Data]

Average Cost of a Plumbing Inspection

While most homeowners pay $575 on average for a plumbing inspection, your final budget will most likely fall somewhere between $100 and $1,375.

Plumbing Inspection Cost Factors

Why you need a plumbing inspection can give you the greatest insight into how much you may pay for this service. Emergencies will generally result in higher costs as you need to pay for immediate assistance, plus the cost of any necessary repairs.

Size of the Home

Larger homes have more plumbing than smaller homes. The longer it takes a licensed plumber to visually inspect your pipes and plumbing fixtures, the more you’ll pay.

Type of Inspection

You might choose a visual inspection over a camera inspection, or your plumbing service may recommend that you do both, depending on the reason for the inspection. A visual inspection is more affordable because it requires less time and effort.

Visual Inspection

A visual pipe inspection cost on average is around $175 and is the most affordable type of plumbing inspection. Here, a plumber will trace the plumbing throughout your home and visually inspect it for leaks, corrosion, and other issues. 

This inspection includes pipes and plumbing fixtures like bathtubs, dishwashers, outdoor spigots, showers, sinks, toilets, washing machines, and water heaters. In addition to ensuring no obvious issues, the inspector will also test your water pressure and make sure that your fixtures are correctly draining.

After the inspector finishes their review, they’ll generate a report summarizing their findings and any further action you may need to take, such as drain cleaning or fixture repairs.

Camera Inspection

The average cost of a sewer camera inspection is $880 and involves your plumber feeding a high-resolution camera through your plumbing pipes. As the camera moves through the pipes, the plumber receives real-time images. This allows them to spot problems like breaks and tree root intrusions, plus note exactly where they are to facilitate later repairs.

After the sewer line inspection, your local sewer camera inspector will generate a report detailing any issues they found. The plumber may also include a digital copy of the camera inspection for your review.

Combination Inspection

A combination inspection typically costs about $800 and involves a visual inspection of your interior pipes and plumbing and a camera inspection of the sewer line. 

Your plumber may recommend this service if you’re buying or selling a home, it’s been a long time since your last plumbing inspection, or you’re facing an unknown plumbing problem that needs in-depth investigation.

Additional Costs to Consider

Emergency Fees 

When estimating costs for a plumbing inspection, you need to factor in how quickly you need the service call. If you face an immediate problem, such as an overflowing toilet or an unknown water leak, you cannot wait for help.

The cost of an emergency plumbing service call can result in an additional trip fee of $200 to $500. Some licensed plumbers may also double or triple their hourly rate when they come out in the evening, on a weekend, or during a holiday.

“Know that many plumbers have a minimum block of time for service calls. For instance, a company may charge a four-hour minimum for any service call, emergency or not. If their after-hours rate is double or triple their normal rate, you could incur some steep fees,” says Plumber and Expert Review Board member Jeff Botelho.

If you’re not in a rush for a plumbing inspection, such as when scheduling one as part of home maintenance or when you have time as you’re preparing to put a house on the market, you won’t have to worry about paying these extra fees.

Plumbing Repairs

Plumbing inspection costs include the inspection only, not the additional services you might need as a result of the assessment, such as cleaning or repairs. 

Here are the average costs to repair plumbing issues your inspection may uncover:

• Install a new water heater: $900–$1700

• Pump a septic tank: $300–$600

• Clean a sewer line: $200–$600

• Repair a sewer main: $1,300–$4,900

• Repair a toilet: $200–$400

• Unclog a drain: $200–$400

How Much Does It Cost to Inspect Plumbing Yourself?

Because it often takes a trained eye to spot problems, it’s best to contact a professional plumbing service to conduct an inspection rather than try to undertake the job yourself.

However, if you’re not experiencing any obvious plumbing issues, there are some things you can do yourself at no cost to check that your plumbing is in working order.

For starters, locate your water meter and become familiar with it. If you keep a monthly record of your water usage, you’ll be able to spot inconsistencies that may signal a leak.

Botelho recommends every homeowner should know how to turn off the water meter in case of an emergency. Knowing this simple task can prevent damaged property in the event of a major water leak.

Keep an eye on water pressure and temperature. You can check these by turning on the farthest faucet or shower from the main water line. If the stream of water isn’t as hot or powerful as you expect, this could mean that your water heater needs cleaning. The cost to flush a water heater is about $200, though this is also a job you can do yourself at no cost.

Other tasks you can complete yourself include visually inspecting pipes for leaks, testing toilets to ensure proper function, and looking for water damage around and under fixtures like sinks, toilets, washing machines, and water heaters.

Cost to Inspect Plumbing Yourself vs. Hiring a Contractor 

For some tasks that you can perform yourself, such as testing plumbing fixtures and visually inspecting pipes, there are no costs involved—you’ll only spend some time and effort.

You may need to invest in some equipment for other tasks, such as snaking a pipe or conducting a sewer camera inspection. A drain snake from the hardware store may be sufficient for small clogs to clear the issue. You may need a more powerful auger for larger blockages, which can easily cost $250 or more.

If you’re set on inspecting your main sewer with a camera, you can rent one for $200 to $300 per day, which may be less than you’ll pay a professional plumber (assuming you can get the job done in one day). However, you’ll need to learn how to use the equipment and interpret the results you see, which may expose you to sewer gas and waste.

So while it’s likely that you’ll pay less to complete simpler plumbing inspection tasks, you’ll deprive yourself of professional knowledge and experience. Considering that one of the purposes of a plumbing inspection is to spot issues before they become bigger problems, it just makes sense to leave this type of job to the pros.

Botelho also notes that some plumbing companies will offer free plumbing and heating system inspections, but this often comes as part of a paid service contract. “These service contracts usually get you priority service and a discounted hourly rate,” says Botelho.