Solve Your Plumbing Problems with a Professional Camera Inspection

If you’ve been experiencing some strange plumbing problems lately, you may want to consider having your sewer pipes inspected. Most homeowners aren’t aware that there’s a problem with their sewer lines until it’s too late – usually the point at which dirty sewer water and waste is backing up into your home! Not only is this unhygienic and a potential health hazard, but sewerage plumbing problems can also be very costly to repair. A professional camera inspection can expose the problem without having to tear up your yard.

How Do I Know it’s a Sewer Problem?
Sewer lines are the pipes that carry all the greywater and waste water from your home into your city’s sewerage system; every sink, drain, and toilet on your property links into these sewerage lines. Often, a blockage in a specific drain – say your kitchen sink – can be solved by using a rooter to clear the debris. However, there are some signs that the problem may run deeper.

If you notice that your sinks, bathtubs or showers are all draining slowly, this would suggest that the problem is not localized, and may be a blockage in your sewer line. Another indication that it’s a sewer pipe issue is if you hear your drains ‘gurgling’, especially when water goes down one drain but you hear it gurgle in another. Water backing up in your toilet is also a big red flag.

How Does it Work?
A plumbing camera is a typically a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera attached to a long, waterproof, malleable cable. Your plumber will guide it through the pipe system, using it to look around and zoom in on any problems in the sewerage line. This might seem like an unnecessary step, but it’s actually incredibly helpful. Identifying the problem affects how your plumber will tackle it. Sewerage lines are usually buried deep beneath your house or garden. If your plumber can avoid excavating your yard to get to the problem, they will opt for less destructive and costly solutions where possible.

When Do I Need It?
Plumbing cameras can be used to locate and identify the following problems:

• Blockages caused by a build-up of soap, grease, waste, and food debris from your sinks and drains. This kind of obstruction can often be resolved without digging down to the pipeline, especially if you catch it early.

• Tree roots are some of the worst offenders when it comes to sewer line problems. This is especially prominent in older neighborhoods and homes with clay pipelines. To a tree, your sewerage pipes are a rich source of water and nutrients! The roots can eventually break through the pipe, and begin growing inside the sewer system. Depending on the extent of the damage, this kind of problem may necessitate an excavation.

• Here in Florida, hurricanes and tropical storms can also damage sewer lines and storm water drains. While your city will deal with emergency problems, a camera inspection may identify unresolved problems in your sewerage pipe.

• New homeowners may want to get a camera inspection to identify minor problems before they get out of hand and cause further damage.

Ultimately, a professional camera inspection could save you time and money with unnecessary repairs, or maintain your property value by preventing further damage.