I have a drain line that is leaking under my slab somewhere. I have three plumbers coming to take a look at it. One of them just left. He said they charged 375 to scope the line and then they can quote a repair price once they find out Where and how much damage there is those $375 sound about right for scoping a drain? The plumber who just left didn’t charge me a service fee for coming here. The other two told me upfront about the service fee.

My recent experience leads me to believe that a 'scope of a drain line is a loss leader designed to "sell work." You might get a more honest assessment, and a lower quote, from the dude that charges for the view, but maybe not. Often, a paid 'scope can be a discount on the followup.

I wonder if a side-by-side viewing of the recorded line examinations, with a running dialog might prove enlightening. Perhaps asking one plumber to comment on the other's recording...

Regardless, I wonder if any visual examination of the inside of a sewer pipe has ever led to anything other than a "work required" recommendation? There is a reason (theirs not yours) that they offer this in the first place.

I usually try to get in a dig about the sewers of Rome lasting thousands of years, and how has plumbing imroved since then.

Yeah, I can be cynical from time-to-time.

To answer you question, everyone charges a service fee, it costs money to send a guy and a truck out. We have relationships with plumbing company, AC and electric from the wifes work.

Daughter had a water leak pop in a supply line under the slab, we knew it was in the master bath

Hired a guy that finds leaks, he has an electronic microphone that he puts to the floor and listens, found the leak and the tile it was under, doesn't do plumbing, just finds leaks. I know what I'm going to do in retirement, 4 homes a day $100 a pop, $104K a year..

Anyway he found it, plumber came in and dug it up and he was spot on.

Check on Facebook Market place you'd be amazed at the number of people that do these things.

Don't know if that will work with a non pressurized drain line.


I'm also dubious of how much scoping the line will reveal, unless it's really bad. (I've been involved with scoping more than a few, unless the tech has improved in the last couple years.) The equipment's not cheap, but it's less work than clearing a blockage. Though that may be what they're getting to do that these days as well.

What's the alternative?

Looks like you can rent one from Home Depot for $203 for 4 hours or $290 for the day. Link

Also looks like there are Chinesium ones on Amazon that can be purchased for between $300 and $1,500 depending on the features with the ones that have locator beacons, larger screens with DVR, and longer reach being more expensive.

$375 total to show up and locate the problem doesn't seem unreasonable to me provided they give you the location of the problem so you can get bids to fix it.

$375 is reasonable and has the service call built into the price. My kids home in NC had a problem and my dad the retired plumber was there. He called the company that could scope it, and he watched the screen and saw three spots where pine tree roots had gotten into the pipes. Then he had the guy run a cutter thru and told Matt what to pour down the lines every six months.

We've had our KC house drain line scoped from the furthest access point in the house to the sewer. I think they charged $300 two years ago. The scope confirmed what we already knew, roots

No sense scoping it myself. I’m expecting to have shoulder surgery soon so it’s my only choice. I guess that’s why we have an emergency fund. I canceled the third plumber, second plumber will be here tomorrow. I’m gonna see if they will concrete in the pit that is left under the furnace where a tin box used to exist. That’s long gone too. All my heat ducts run through the slab.

All the plumbers here have a service fee just for coming out.

All of the plumbers I've hired credit the diagnostic fee for the work to the cost if you hire them to fix the problem (I'm aware that it's probably built into the price, but it is what it is.)