Drain and sewer issues can crop up at any time, and dealing with them can be a major headache. One of the best options for identifying, overcoming and preventing clogs and other issues is with a drain camera. A drain camera is just a fiber-optic camera connected to a long, flexible cable that a plumber can run through a toilet, sewer line or any drain line.
The plumber then watches the video feed on a monitor while moving the camera down through the pipe, which allows them to easily inspect the pipe and check for any issues. In this article, we’ll discuss why drain cameras are so useful and also how to know when you should have a camera inspection performed.
How Drain Cameras Help Identify Plumbing Problems
Clogs, leaky drainpipes, and other drain and sewer issues are somewhat common. The problem is that it can be difficult to locate exactly where the issue is since most of the plumbing in a building is hidden behind walls. This is where using a drain camera comes in since it allows a plumber to inspect any drainpipe easily. For instance, if you have a toilet that keeps clogging, a plumber can insert the camera down through the toilet. This then enables them to immediately determine whether the clog is located inside the toilet or in the drainpipe it connects to.
Once they know where the clog is and what caused it, they’ll then have a much better idea of what it will take to overcome it. Most toilet clogs are caused by flushing excess toilet paper or things like wet wipes, cotton pads, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, etc. In this case, the plumber should be able to easily clear the clog by running a pipe snake through the toilet and down into the drainpipe.
There are also situations where the toilet may be clogged because a child tried to flush something like a toy. In this case, a pipe snake usually won’t work. That means the only option may be for the plumber to remove the toilet and manually fish out the object.
Camera inspections are also extremely useful if you’re dealing with problems such as slow draining in all of your plumbing fixtures. In this case, the problem usually lies with either the main sewer line or the plumbing vent stack sticking up through the roof. Leaves and other debris can sometimes get into the vent pipe, and sometimes you can also have issues with birds building a nest inside the pipe.
The role of the vent pipe is to allow air inside your drain and sewer system. The reason this is necessary is that any time you flush a toilet or put lots of water down the drain, a vacuum can form inside the drain system if air doesn’t get drawn in through the vent. If this happens, the wastewater can get trapped and not drain away as it should.
When facing this type of situation, the plumber can just go on the roof and use a camera to check the vent pipe for obstructions. If the vent is clear, they’ll then know that there is a partial clog in your main sewer line. As such, they’ll then use the camera to inspect the sewer line to see what is clogging it. Tree roots are a common cause of clogged sewer lines since tiny roots can often get in through one of the joints in the pipe. The roots will then start growing much bigger and quickly take over the pipe since the water and waste feed and fertilize them.
The reason that a camera inspection is helpful when dealing with sewer line issues is that it allows the plumber to determine the best option for clearing the blockage. A rooting machine usually works just fine to clear clogs caused by solid items or fats and grease, but it isn’t always effective when dealing with larger tree roots.
That means the plumber may instead use a hydro-jetting machine, which sprays an extremely powerful jet of water that can slice straight through even large roots with ease. Hydro-jetting is also great for removing fat and grease since the water will blast them off the inside of the sewer line.
How a Drain Camera Can Help Retrieve Lost Items
Dropping a wedding ring or other valuable item down a sink happens more often than you may think. Should this happen to you, a drain camera can often allow a plumber to locate and retrieve the item. As long as you immediately shut off the water and refrain from using your plumbing, the ring or whatever else likely won’t get flushed out into the municipal sewer system.
Instead, it will usually still be either in the P-trap under the sink or where the vertical plumbing stack connects to the sewer line. That means a plumber will usually be able to fish it out after they’ve located it using a camera. If the object is still in the bend in the P-trap, all they’ll need to do is disconnect the trap to retrieve it.
How Camera Inspections Can Help Prevent Plumbing Issues
Having a plumber inspect all of your home’s drain lines and the main sewer line every year or so is also a great preventative measure that can help avoid clogs and other plumbing issues. This is because the camera allows the plumber to look for things like fat buildup or other issues that could lead to clogs developing at some point. That means that they can then use a pipe snake or some other method to clear the drain line or sewer line before it fully clogs up.
Having your sewer line regularly inspected is especially useful for avoiding more serious issues like sewage backups. Camera inspections are the only way to check the condition of a sewer line and look for issues like tree root intrusion, cracks, etc. If there are any issues with your sewer line, it’s important to have them repaired as soon as possible. If not, the problem will usually only get worse and often result in you needing to replace the sewer line.
That’s also why you should be proactive and immediately schedule a sewer line inspection any time you notice issues with all of your plumbing fixtures. In addition to slow drains, other things to watch for are gurgling sounds coming from your drains and toilets that flush slowly, don’t flush completely or make a chugging sound. If these issues are present throughout your home, you definitely want to have your sewer line and vent stack inspected as soon as possible. If you wait too long, there’s an extremely high chance that you’ll start experiencing sewage backups any time you use your plumbing.
If you are experiencing issues with only one toilet not working properly, you also should get it inspected immediately. This is because it’s likely that it will eventually become completely clogged and could end up overflowing when you flush it.
Since 2007, TitanZ Plumbing & Air Conditioning has been helping customers in Port Charlotte and throughout Southwest Florida with all of their plumbing, drain, and sewer needs. Whether you need a camera inspection, leak detection, or any other house-hold plumbing or HVAC service, you can trust our team of experts to get the job done quickly and correctly. Contact us today for more information or to set up a drain cleaning solution.