Hydro Physics, Inc.

We recently bought a house and had Rick inspect the sewer prior to making an offer.
He ran the scope through the system and found a big issue that’s actually on the city’s side of things. He gave us all the info we needed to get Seattle to acknowledge the problem (should it ever cause a backup in the future), getting us off the hook for those (potential) repairs, to the tune of $ 20k or so. Worth every penny for his time!
As others have said, he is knowledgeable, approachable, timely, clean and friendly. Couldn’t ask for more.

First-​time clueless home-​buyer here! 150% satisfied. I wasn’t made to feel dumb, though I asked a thousand questions. He was on time (early even!) performed a sewer inspection efficiently and even when he couldn’t get through the pipe, he worked very hard to navigate the block, and eventually made it all the way out to the the main sewer line. Afterwards, he walked me through exactly what he saw, used very effective metaphors to be sure I understood what he was telling me and was incredibly professional and pleasant. Reasonable recommendations, asked me to call him anytime with questions/​clarifications and I was VERY comfortable with him all around. Will definitely recommend this company to everyone, especially if you are like I was, scrolling aimlessly through Unilocal praying you don’t make a mistake. No mistakes here. And they provide a video. Awesome!

I cannot say enough good things about this outfit. I had roots in the sewer line and one plumber wanted to dig up the sewer line because they were sure the line was damaged beyond repair. Rick, who came exactly on time, is professional and knowledgeable and saved me a HUGE repair bill that was not necessary. He really knows his stuff and I would call him for any sewer issue. And the popcorn was welcome.

We had nightmare plumbing issues at a place we were staying (between the house and the main sewer line) which left a deep impression on us for getting any future home thoroughly inspected before purchase. We would never want to go through that again.
Using Hydro Physics was amazingly simple and efficient. Scheduling was quick on a Sunday and I was able to get the inspection done on Monday. Rick was friendly, humorous and his expertise helped me feel highly knowledgable about the property being inspected after we were done. Everything was clearly explained along with a video we could view afterwards. I also know if anything came up, I could take the documentation to a plumber so they could accurately provide an estimate for the work to fix it.
Loved the bag of popcorn at the end :)
I would highly recommend them to anyone and if I have the opportunity to call upon their services again, I would in a heartbeat.

A patch of our front lawn had been looking different than the rest so I thought maybe the sewer line was leaking. I called Hydro Physics to ask if that sounded plausible. They looked up my address on a map of sewer lines and described the location relative to my house. That’s not where the weird lawn patch is, so they saved me the cost of an unnecessary sewer inspection. Since they ruled out their service for this issue, I would trust their recommendations in the future if they do say something needs to be done. I was quite impressed with their customer service today, and they did a great job inspecting our sewer lines several years ago when we bought our house. Now if only I can figure out what’s really causing the lawn spot…

Hydrophysics is the best! I first worked with Mike (the owner Rick’s brother) in 2010 at the recommendation of our realtor. We were purchasing an older home, and my estimate is that Mike saved us around $ 40−50k with all of the sewer issues that he discovered prior to closing. We made the sale contingent on the seller repairing the whole sewer – from the house to the main sewer line under the street. A huge, expensive job, and we’re appreciative that he was so thorough.
Rick and Marty just left my house after I discovered a sewage odor in my basement – and a sink hole over our sewer line. They were prompt, friendly, informative, tidy, and patient (willing to answer all of my questions without making me feel like an annoying idiot). They did a really thorough assessment of my sewer line, scoping it out to the street. They also assessed what could be causing the sink hole, speculated on what could be causing the problem, and recommended solutions.
And when I asked Rick for plumbing referrals, he gave me a few names. Then he told me to call back anytime if I had questions about specific concerns, and he’d be glad to recommend sewer or plumbing companies based on our needs.
I would not hesitate to use Hydrophysics.
Bonus: free bag of microwave popcorn! Now I have something to munch on while I watch my uploaded sewer scope video!

Rick is a top notch guy! He is always timely, courteous, and efficient. I always recommend him to any client that is thinking about purchasing a property. I have always had great results when using his services!

We, as real estate agents, have used Hydrophysics many times over the years. Rick is prompt, organized and good at explaining the potential problems in side sewers. A thrilling topic! He also helps purchasers gage the seriousness of problems he finds. In the City of Seattle, we all have old sewer lines and you want to find out the condition before you buy.

I have used Rick and Hydro physics multiple times. Not only are they professional, courteous, clean and on time but they really know their stuff. Let’s Face it Sewer lines are not something a lot of us know much about. Rick and his staff are great at interpreting data and also explaining if things are serious or not. this is very important for my clients when buying or selling older homes which is why I will continue to recommend Hydro physics. If you want a personal testimony feel free to call me any time Arron Renfrew 206−779−6600

We hired Hydrophysics to do a sewer scope on the home we are in the process of buying. After hearing a few horror stories of homes purchased without a sewer scope checking the condition of the side sewer was high on my priority list. I like the fact that they do scoping and no plumbing so there’s no low potential for a conflict of interest.
Hydrophysics had to come twice because the first inspection revealed blockage. They were on time (early, actually!) and friendly at both appointments. They also marked the yard at my request so we can get an external clean out installed. They were very clean and didn’t leave a spot on the carpet near the clean out. They also answered all my questions patiently and clearly.
After each scope we received a computer viewable cd with the recording of our scope, a written inspection sheet, and popcorn.
Dealing with Hydro Physics was a pleasure and helped make my new home purchase a little less stressful. Highly recommended.

Prior to buying a house I had the sewer line inspected at the recommendation of friends and the realtor. Our realtor chose Hydro Physics, and our experience was great.
They were extremely punctual, and got the job done quickly. They burned the video results while we waited, and threw in a bag of popcorn to watch the action with later on.
Quick and painless. Just the way I like it.

For $ 250, they scoped our sewer. Good service. Easy to work with.

Rick and Mike are both fantastic. Professional courteous and honest. As a real estate agent, I can’t tell you how many times I have recommended them to clients. It is amazing to me how many buyers will completely ignore the sewer line when considering to purchase a home. Rick and Mike have saved my clients thousands of dollars, over the years. I sewer line replacement can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. The cost of a sewer scope is about $ 200. It is a no brainer. Trina is great at keeping the guys in line too :). Do yourself a favor and buy a home with your eyes fully open. GET A SEWER SCOPE!

As I was navigating my way through what wound up to be a serious root problem in our sewer line, a couple different companies recommended Hydro Physics for sewer line inspection and camera work. Rick was prompt, professional and very friendly. He explained everything as he went along and answered all my questions thoroughly. He could not diagnose the issue at the time of his visit because the line was backed up with water and such. But he was able to mark precisely where the issue was in the sewer line — meaning what part of my driveway had to be dug up. He was spot on. A less exact diagnosis could have cost me several hundred dollars in wasted demolition. His fees were more than worth it in terms of fixing the issue as inexpensively as possible. Rick is a real pro and I would not hesitate to call him again or recommend Hydro Physics to others.

Upon the recommendation of our home inspector (see review on Plus One Inspection Services), we ordered a sewer line inspection from this company. Our house is old (1926) and there is quite a bit of plantlife growing along where the sewer would be. Repairs can be costly if you don’t know what you’re up against, so the less than $ 200 investment on this extra service was worth it. especially before you buy the house!
We spoke with Rick and he was able to come out within a couple days. He was punctual – he was set up and ready to go ON our appointed time.
If you haven’t been through a sewer inspection, it’s kind of cool if you don’t think too much about what the sewer transports. :P Rick ran a camera hose down our sewer and talked the whole time about what we were seeing, what we’re looking for.
We were able to watch with his laptop as it was happening. A sewer pipe is 4″ in diameter! For some reason I thought it was larger, anyway, our pipes were clean (knock wood) but he gave us tips on maintenance. He also sounded pleased himself that our pipes were in good condition, which made us feel even more secure in the whole house-​buying process.
He burned the video on a dvd right away and also gave us some popcorn, because this is one of the most expensive movies you’ll ever watch. Heh. Clever.
The whole thing took about 25mins, then he talked with us and answered questions for another 20mins. He was very professional, efficient, and clean (not that this process would be dirty, but if you think sewer, you think dirty. it was very clean, but I wouldn’t shake his hands until he took off his gloves, haha).