Sewer Inspection of Drains, Do I Really Need That?
Let me set the stage for you. You have a 20+ year old home. As the homeowner, you have had the toilets replaced, water pressure Sewer-Inspection2checked, kitchen drains replaced, and numerous other cosmetic plumbing services done to the house. One night you are on the lower level of the house and you hear running water, but you are not sure where so you get up to investigate. After looking around, you come to the bathroom and you see water pouring out of the toilet. What in the world is going on!
Turns out once the water was turned off, and the plumber came out to check out the drains with a camera, there was a blockage in the pipe along with a tree root that had grown through the pipe. So not only had a tree been growing through the pipe for many years, the paper that was being flushed was silently filling up the areas that the root had not gotten to yet until the drain could not dispose of the water properly. We can say the owners of the household were unaware that this could happen and had never heard of a sewer video inspection before their toilet backed up.
Sewer line inspection should be a requirement for older homes, or if you are purchasing a new home. Yet, it is left off the inspection list. Video inspections can provide views of the pipes so that you can see if there are cracks, separation, tree roots, pipe collapse, and even defects in the sewer line that might be caused by the city sewer lines. If you are buying a new home, this information could be quite pivotal in determining the purchasing price, or if you want to buy the house at all.
Here at AllGood Plumbing, we strongly suggest having your sewer inspected with a camera, especially since Georgia homeowners love the trees that grow around their homes. These trees can be competing with your sewer drains, and the tree will win out. The same goes for paper blockage in a drain that may be damaged or not draining properly, with enough time the drain will also stop working and your house will reap the damage it produces.
Let AllGood’s highly trained plumbing professionals come out and do a sewer inspection of your house’s drains. Let us find the problem before you do. We have a coupon on our website for a sewer inspection. With the coupon, the inspection is currently $139. A great deal to find a problem before it becomes an expensive problem.
Do I Need a Home Sewer Inspection?
The most common problem with many sewer lines is backups caused by roots. Roots are attracted to the rich nutrients found in main sewer pipe systems. Tree roots can grow into plumbing lines through even the smallest seam or crack and may continue to grow over time. They eventually lead to blockages, overflows, and in some cases heavily damaged lines.
What is a Sewer Pipe Inspection
A sewer pipeline camera inspection to view the condition of sewer and drain lines is a necessity if home or business owners have constant backups and blockage, root intrusion, or are purchasing a new home. Because most sewer lines are installed under the home and in the ground, there is no accurate way to determine the condition of the line and whether it requires replacement without the help of a professional contractor
If there are objects in the line, roots, or heavy buildup, eventually the system will clog and could overflow into homes causing water damage, hence requiring expensive sewer cleanup services.
Do I Need a Home Sewer Inspection
The only way to accurately diagnose a sewer line problem is with a professional sewer camera inspection. A camera may show homeowners several important things that can help them to plan ahead and avoid further damage.
Frequent Drain Backups – For home and business owners experiencing frequent sewer line backups, a sewer camera is crucial. Drain lines back up when there are blockages such as root intrusion, hard scale buildup, objects in the line, or broken and damaged sewer pipes. Various causes of blockages can be found in newer homes, but are definitely an issue with older homes. As homes age, so do the pipes servicing the drains. Deterioration, breaks from shifting earth or roots, and objects in the line can be viewed only with a sewer camera inspection.
DO I NEED A SEWER INSPECTION BEFORE BUYING A HOME?
Would you buy a home before checking out the interior or walking around the yard? Probably not. Most prospective buyers look at a house from top to bottom, hiring an inspector to go over the property with a fine-tooth comb. But despite all the scrutiny, sewer lines are seldom examined.
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM
A lot of thought and care goes into finding the right home, so you want to make sure the home you choose is ready for move-in as soon as you are. Older neighborhoods sometimes have clay or concrete pipes and sewers made from these materials are particularly vulnerable to damage by tree roots. Roots are drawn to moisture that seeps from leaking or cracked pipes
ONCE UPON A CESSPOOL
Historic homes in southeast Portland and other areas predate city sewers. In these homes, cesspools were often used. When neighborhoods connected to sewer lines, the cesspools were sometimes connected to the sewer line.
NOT JUST FOR VINTAGE PROPERTIES
It’s not just century-old homes that can have problems, though. It’s a good idea to have a sewer inspection in a home that’s over 20 years old. Two decades is ample time for tree roots to grow and problems to develop.
HOW IS A SEWER INSPECTION DONE?
A qualified plumbing company can do a sewer inspection. When Apollo inspects a sewer, we attach a small video camera to a snake. The snake is inserted into the pipes. A plumber views a monitor that shows the progress of the camera through the sewer.
How Does Sewer Line Camera Inspection Work?
These days objects are getting smaller and smaller and cameras are no different. From big, bulky equipment, cameras have since changed and gotten smaller and smaller. It is small enough to fit on the back of most smartphones while still being able to capture high-resolution images.
Since cameras have become so tiny now, they have gained more applications not just for spy and undercover operations but for the plumbing industry as well, which is very helpful.
Instead of having to use big manual tools, listening gear or even having to dig up an entire area just to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem in pipes which also involved a lot of trial and error, plumbers now have the option to inspect pipes and sewer lines using miniature cameras specifically made for that purpose.
What Type of Camera is Used to Inspect Sewer Lines?
There is a specific type of camera used for sewer line inspections and it’s called a sewer inspection camera or a sewer pipe camera.
This is a tiny, flexible camera which is purpose-built to be snaked into sewer lines and pipes to allow an ocular examination of the sewer pipes or lines located underneath houses, buildings or roads. Most of the sewer inspection cameras are fit to use for either huge pipes or tight drains
What to Expect from a Sewer Camera Inspection
Not all homeowners can be as lucky as the French police when looking in their sewer system. The police managed to find $25 million worth of stolen Harry Winston jewels. Putting a sewer camera in a home’s drains can provide a wealth of valuable insight though. Homeowners can resolve blockages and find out the health of their lines.
What is a Sewer Camera?
Sewer cameras assist plumbers to view the main sewer line and pipes. There is a small camera mounted on the end of a flexible cable. Professional versions will have powerful lights mounted with the camera. This makes looking at the pipes easier.
The Benefit of Using a Camera
By using a camera homeowners can have confidence in the health of their plumbing system instead of guessing what problems might lie below.
When to Use a Sewer Camera
There are three times when a homeowner should consider getting a sewer inspection. They are useful when buying a home, planning a remodel, or if you’re experiencing issues.
Price
Prices vary for this service, and with that so does quality. Ask beforehand if you are able to watch the inspection yourself while it is happening live. Also ask if you are able to get a copy of the video file, and if that will cost you any more on top of the fee for the inspection.
