Sewer Pipe Inspections
DO I NEED A SEWER PIPE INSPECTION?
Correctly identifying plumbing and drain problems can save you time and money, and ensure that you won’t have a bigger problem on your hands down the road. We highly recommend scheduling a video pipe inspection if you’re experiencing any of the following:
- Repeated drain backups or clogs
- Extremely slow drainage
- Strange gurgling sounds from your washing machine, sinks or toilets
- Foul odors coming from your yard or a depressed area in your lawn
- Foul odors coming from your air vents
A sewer line camera inspection can quickly help to determine the cause of these problems. With video evidence in hand, our plumbing technicians can walk you through a discussion of the most efficient and budget-friendly options for repair.
You might also benefit from a video pipe inspection if you are:
- Considering purchasing a new home and want to avoid future costly repairs
- Considering remodeling a kitchen or bathroom and need to ensure your main sewer line can handle the greater amounts of waste water involved.
SEWER PIPE INSPECTION SERVICES & PROCESS
A video pipe inspection provides you with a recorded visual inspection of sewer lines and other pipes below your home or commercial building.
The technician threads a flexible cable, or “snake,” with a high-resolution video camera on its tip into your sewer line from an access point. The video camera travels deep down into the pipes – up, down and around corners – through pipes that may not have been easily accessed any other way because they’re underground or in cement.
The video camera transmits real-time images to a monitor outside the pipe, allowing your plumbing technician to determine the condition of the pipe and necessary repairs or replacements on the spot. He can then recommend the best approach for addressing immediate existing problems and a clear estimate of their cost. This is the main advantage of a video pipe inspection: you won’t pay for costly repairs you don’t need.
The real-time video also records the physical location of identified problems. This is the second main advantage of a video pipe inspection: technicians can zero in on the problem area, or areas, saving you time and money.
You might find that there are no existing problems. In this case, your drain technician can still provide you with a review of the sewer line condition and solutions for potential upcoming problems.
SEWER LINE CAMERA INSPECTION FAQS
A sewer line camera inspection is where a high-tech, waterproof camera is eased into a main sewer line to scope the pipes and give plumbers an up-close visual on the condition of the pipes, where blockages are, and if there are any other issues – such as corroded pipes, damaged pipes from tree roots, and an assortment of other possible issues.
Additionally, a sewer camera inspection can alert a drain technician to hidden issues lurking in your plumbing system that will develop into major issues as time passes.
Yes. Some teams of drain technicians would argue that sewer line camera inspections are vital, and they won’t take steps to unclog a blockage until a video inspection is done.
Why? Sewer line camera inspections are designed to find, diagnosis and pinpoint exactly where the issue is – or give an update on the condition of the pipes if it’s just a routine maintenance scope, such as in a city by city-drain technicians– giving drain techs much better means of correcting the problem in a fast and efficient manner.
Additionally, once a video pipe inspection is complete, drain technicians will know which method to employ to correctly fix the issue and minimize digging up and damaging yards and roads.
First and foremost, you should have your sewer lines inspected before you finalize the sale of a new home. This way you know the exact conditions of the home’s pipes, and you can either negotiate on price or repair before the sale is final. Knowledge you gain from a video pipe inspection can also help you walk away from the sale if the condition of the pipes seem like too big of a burden and cost.
On top of this, if your sewer lines are less than 10 years old, an annual or biannual inspection is more than likely enough. If your sewer lines are older than 10 years old, an inspection and cleaning every six months to a year will not only deliver peace of mind, but it will also take care of small issues (that will cost less) before they become big, damaging, expensive headaches