Failed a Hydrostatic Test? What It Means for Your San Antonio Home Sale

It is the phone call every home seller dreads. You are days away from closing. The buyers hired a plumber to perform a “Hydrostatic Test” on your sewer system, and the result just came back: FAIL.

Suddenly, the buyers are panicking. They think the entire foundation is about to collapse, and they are demanding you drop the price by $30,000 or they are walking away.

Take a deep breath. A failed test does not automatically mean you need to tunnel under your entire house.

What Exactly is a Hydrostatic Test?

In simple terms, a plumber puts an inflatable ball in your main sewer cleanout to block the pipe. They fill the system with water up to the slab level and wait 20 minutes. If the water level drops, there is a leak somewhere.

However, as the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) notes, the responsibility for these private lateral lines falls on the homeowner. A drop in water level confirms a leak, but it doesn’t tell you how big or where it is. It could be a tiny hairline crack in a single pipe, not a total system failure.

The Solution: Isolation Testing & Lining

Before you let the deal fall through, you need a Sewer Isolation Test. This allows us to pinpoint exactly which section of the pipe is leaking.

If the leak is under the slab, you usually don’t need to jackhammer your beautiful floors or dig a massive tunnel (which scares off buyers).

At Drain Connection, we specialize in Trenchless Pipe Lining.

• The Fix: We insert a structural liner into the existing pipe. It seals the leak from the inside, essentially creating a new pipe within the old one.
• The Benefit: It takes 1-2 days, costs significantly less than tunneling, and comes with a 50-year warranty that you can hand to the buyer at closing.

Save Your Sale

Don’t let a generic “Fail” kill your real estate deal. Get a second opinion that offers a solution, not just bad news.

• Need an urgent quote? Call Us at (210) 529-8848 or visit our contact page.