Do you have a drain in your home that’s consistently backing up? Or worse, do you see unexplained puddles of water in your yard? Sometimes it’s easy to guess the culprit in your pipes. Other times might be trickier and costlier if the problem is deeper in the pipes and far underground (root intrusion, corrosion, belly in the pipe). In the end, without a drain camera, it’s a guessing game. The purpose of a drain and sewer camera is to be able to see what’s causing a blockage or backup within the sewer pipe without digging up the yard or just guessing what the problem is.

What Is A Drain Camera?

A tiny, flexible sewer camera is attached to a snake-like cable that professional plumbers feed through the sewer pipe until it reaches the cause of the clog (or break in the line). A radio transmitter on the camera records the physical location of the line and depth from the surface, telling us where the blockage is and what work needs to be done to fix it.

What Can A Drain Camera Tell Me?

Like we mentioned earlier, there are a few common problems that are easy identified with a drain camera. A drain camera inspection can also tell you:

  • The type of material your pipe is made of.
  • The depth and length of your sewer line.
  • The approximate path your sewer line takes to meet the main.
  • Any root intrusions in the pipe.
  • Breaks in the pipe.
  • Failed connections in the pipe.
  • Sludge or mineral deposit build-up in the pipe.
  • The existence of a belly, or dip, in the pipe that could catch solid material.
  • The overall condition of the pipe.

Can a sewer camera detect a leak?

Sewer and water lines are completely separate plumbing systems. This is how we protect clean water and safely dispose of waste. Water lines are typically very small and pressurized. There are other methods for detecting water leaks, either in a wall, under a house, or in a slab. Sewer line leaks do exist though the camera doesn’t show us what is happening outside of a pipe. We can’t necessarily see if a pipe is leaking into the ground unless there is an obvious break or root intrusion. Tiny cracks or loose connections won’t always be visible with a sewer camera inspection.

Because sewer repairs and pipe replacements are no small task, a drain and sewer camera inspection helps homeowners avoid expensive repairs without first knowing that their problem will be solved when the work is done.