5 Sewer Line Problems Only A Camera Inspection Can Find

Most homeowners don’t want to have to think about where sewage goes and how it gets there, but once you start having alarming signs of sewer line problems, you do want to know exactly what is going on. That way, your professional plumber can handle it quickly and efficiently. Fortunately, you no longer have to go through the tortuous process of finding the location of the problem in the line and then tearing up the walls of your house (or worse yet, the ground beneath your house) to get to the pipe. These days, you can hire qualified plumbing companies to do a sewer line camera inspection to find the problem and get it fixed asap.

What Is A Sewer Line Camera Inspection?

A camera inspection is a great way to identify the most common issues quickly and precisely. A special camera is connected to a cable that is snaked through the pipes to locate whatever issue may be affecting the line. Since plumbing lines go to the sewer lines that lie about 2 feet under the thick foundation of your home, this camera improves the investigation process massively.  It can help locate many of the most common issues that afflict your plumbing, so your plumbing company can get to work.

There are video inspection scopes sold to homeowners, but these are only able to check a few feet into the pipes and are comparatively low tech, so they have limited use. Your professional plumber will have a much more high tech system that has powerful lighting, is self-righting, autofocusing, shows high-resolution images that can be recorded, and, perhaps most importantly, it emits a signal so the plumber can stop the camera at the site of the problem and then they will use a locating device to find the precise location that needs to be repaired.  

When You May Need An Inspection

How do you know if your household plumbing problems might be a sewer line problem? It could be a sewer line problem if your toilet is backing up and overflowing. Of course, we all hope it is just a typical plumbing line problem, but if it isn’t responding to drain cleaners, plunging, or typical snaking, it might be an issue in the sewer line. These are the 5 problems that only a camera inspection can find

  1. Tree root intrusions – tree roots can invade your underground pipes and impact the flow or block the pipe.
  2. Tiny cracks in your pipes – These tiny cracks are likely not an issue in blockages, but they are something you need to keep an eye on since a hairline crack can expand and eventually cause damage
  3. Shifting Issues: problems with the pipe’s slope or issues at the joints – your pipes also use gravity to move the sewage down the line so any impact to the slope can affect the process. Shifting pipes can also affect the joints or pipe connections, which will affect the structural integrity of your system.
  4. Sagging sewer pipes – here again, the sagging can affect the movement and result in blockages that impact your whole system. 
  5. Grease buildup – grease congealing inside pipes is a major cause of issues since it can build up and trap debris and there is nothing to break up the grease or move it along. You should always dispose of grease in the trash and not down your pipes.

All of these troubles can be spotted with a sewer line inspection, and high tech systems, like the ones we use here at Phend Plumbing, are the right tools for the job. So, if you are in the Mesa or Gilbert area and you think your sewer line is clogged, or if you just need to have the peace of mind of a high-quality sewer line camera inspection, give us a call at 480-388-6093 to get a quote. Please visit us at https://phendplumbing.com to learn more about us.