Finding Problems Inside The Sewer Line To Determine The Best Way To Make Repairs

Posted on: 22 December 2021

The sewer line running from your home to the city sewer system can become a problem over time, and damage to the line used to mean digging up the yard to inspect the pipe from the outside. Fiberoptics has changed that, and a sewer camera inspection can assess the line without digging anything up to find the issue.

Sewer Line Damage

Modern sewer lines are made from durable plastic pipe, but not too many years ago, the pipe that ran from your home to the city sewer system was made from concrete or clay material that was easily broken or damaged if enough stress was put on it. A sewer line could break or crack if a heavy truck drove over the soil above it, causing the line to leak and allow raw sewage to seep into the ground.

Often trees seeking water sources extend roots far enough to break through the pipe and get to the water inside as well. Once the roots get into the line, they cause blockages and problems that affect material flow through the sewer line.

Sometimes the movement of the soil in the winter was enough to damage the line, so burying the line deep below the frost line was critical. However, not all older sewer lines meet that requirement. If you have an older home with the original line, you may need to have a sewer camera inspection to check the line's condition if you are having plumbing or drain issues inside your home. 

Sewer Line Inspection

A plumbing service can do a sewer camera inspection for you to determine where the problem is in your sewer line, how extensive the damage is, and the best way to resolve it. A small fiberoptic camera is inserted into the cleanout in the sewer line in the house and advanced slowly toward the city line. As the camera moves along the pipe, the operator watches a live video on a monitor to see what is happening inside the pipe.

If there is damage to the line, the plumber will see it on the screen, and most systems will report the distance the camera has traveled along the line to allow the operator to mark the spot in the yard where the damage is at. This allows the sewer repair service to dig directly over the damaged area and make repairs without tearing up the entire yard. 

The camera will also spot root incursions, blockages in the line, and significant damage that would necessitate a replacement of the entire sewer line on the property. While a sewer camera inspection does not guarantee that the line will not need excavating, it is an excellent option to determine the issue and develop a plan with the sewer repair service to repair the line and get your drains working correctly.  

Contact a company like Mesquite Plumbing Inc for more information. 

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