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What is a Sewer Line Camera Inspection?

Knowing what a sewer camera inspection is and what they can be used for expands a smart homeowners diagnostic and repair plumbing choices.

How Sewer Line Cameras Work

Sewer cameras are used to find the cause of a blockage or backup within the sewer pipe. No digging up the yard or just guessing what the problem is.

Since the inside of sewer pipes (and plumbing pipes in general) are not available for visual inspection, only a video camera can find the source of possible sewer line problems. Sewer lines are typically installed under the foundation of a house and then underground between the home and the municipalities line under the street.

In Florida, most homes are built on a concrete slab. The homes sewer pipes are under this slab. The slab is about 4 or 5 five inches thick with about 2 feet of dirt above the pipe.

Your Brand Plumbing uses a sewer video camera head connected to a long flexible cable and inserts this camera into the homes main sewer line clean-out. Sometimes a vent stack will be the source of origin. The plumber feeds the snake-like cable through the pipe until it reaches the cause of the clog or break in the pipeline. While the camera is snaked through the pipes, our plumber watches on his monitor (above ground) to see what the camera discovers in your pipes.

What A Sewer Camera Can Find

Sewer Line Location

Knowing the location of sewer line problem is half the battle. Our plumbers know where the sewer camera is in the line via a radio transmitter on the camera above ground. With this information, we know the physical location of the blockage and depth from the surface, allowing us to accurately plan what repair needs to be made and where the repair needs to be made.

PVC or Cast Iron Pipe

Different pipe materials have their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing pipe materials help us quickly look for their particular problem

Drainage or Stoppage Fault

Either a drainage problem or a stoppage issue will result in a homes sewer system not working as it is designed to work. A home sewer system uses gravity to move wastewater downhill through plumbing pipes to its final destination — your city’s waste treatment center or a home septic tank. The home’s connected to waste treatment will have a main sewer pipe connected from the house to the city’s sewer pipes under the street.

When something is causing your system to malfunction, Your Brand Plumbing uses their sewer camera to find the cause of the problem. Stoppages might be caused by blockages from roots, mud, broken pipes, etc. You can learn more about blockage causes on our page about common causes of sewer pipe damage.

Sewer System Connections

Our sewer camera will see fittings, tee’s, and other types of pipe connections. The sewer camera can also be used at the connections for incoming water. So the sewer camera is also a useful tool to diagnose general home plumbing problems. Our plumbers can see where the water flows to or from as well as from one line to another.

Unnecessary Plumbing Repairs

A plumber may need more than a sewer camera inspection to find sewer pipeline problems. Like other types of diagnosis, a second opinion might be warranted. If you suspect a repair solution was not right, please give us a call at 305-000-5020. We’ll be happy to discuss your concerns and if you wish we will do a proper video inspection of your plumbing system.

The accurate inspection information produced by our sewer video camera shows us where a plumbing problem is and what it is. With this information, the plumbers at Your Brand Plumbing will create the best plan for sewer line repair or replacement. Call us at 305-000-5020 for emergencies, same day service, and planned service.