Drainage and septic tanks
The report mentions salt-glaze clay pipes next to a displaced joint. Has roots the cover lift did not follow been tested, or only named?
Roots beyond the displaced joint have been named, not tested. The report puts salt-glaze clay pipes next to a joint that has shifted, which is something that could be seen when a cover was lifted. The roots the cover lift did not follow were not traced along the pipe. The survey has seen a displaced joint in a clay drain. It has not decided how far any roots go, whether they caused the shift, or whether the run is leaking. The joint is a sighting. The roots remain an unfollowed name.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Salt-glaze clay is the traditional glazed pipe, jointed in short lengths. A joint that has come out of line can leak, catch solids, or let roots in at the gap. Roots often arrive because the joint is already open, so the growth and the displacement are easy to mix up. The surveyor sees the offset at the chamber or at the first pipe. They do not see the next joint once the cover lift stops. Naming roots without following them records a suspicion. It does not map them.
Ask a drainage firm to follow the roots, usually with a camera, from the displaced joint onward. The survey has not done that and has not specified cutting roots or relaying pipe. Tell the solicitor the joint was seen and the root path was not. Do not treat the salt-glaze material as the defect. Old clay can be sound, and a shifted joint is the point that was actually recorded. Keep the pipes, the joint and the unfollowed roots as three notes.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the displaced joint at the chamber wall or further along a visible pipe?
- Were roots seen in the chamber, or only suspected beyond the cover?
- How far past the joint did the cover lift actually let you see?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the displaced joint as seen and the roots as unfollowed.
- Ask a drainage firm to camera the run from that joint.
- Tell the solicitor the root path was not tested.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Is salt-glaze clay a failed material by age alone?
No. It is a pipe material. The survey named it next to a displaced joint, which is the defect that was seen. Age does not prove every length has moved, and roots beyond that joint were not followed. A sound clay drain and a shifted joint can exist on the same run. Do not condemn the material.
Could the joint have shifted without any roots?
Yes. Ground movement, a poor original joint or a load from above can displace salt-glaze pipes with no roots at all. The survey did not follow roots past the cover lift, so it has not decided roots are the cause. The displaced joint is the fact. The cause stays untested until the run is looked at further.