Plagued by nasty smells coming from the drain in your bathtub? Is your kitchen sink backing up regularly? Or is there a puddle of stagnant water sitting in your backyard that never disappears? These are all signs that your drainage system is in trouble, and this is where a sewer camera inspection is helpful to get to the source of the problem.
In the years prior to technology becoming such an important component of modern plumbing, technicians had few options when it came to figuring out drain problems. However, that has all changed since sewer camera inspection has become a standard part of plumbing detective work in the United States. Nowadays, a sewer camera repair is used by plumbers for a variety of issues, most notably when customers experience problems with their sewer line.
At Boss Plumbing, we are Los Angeles’s sewer camera inspection experts. We’ve spent more than three decades working with these waterproof machines spotting obstructions all over the city’s sewer drain system. But before you pick up the phone and book an appointment with us, read on to learn a bit more about how our sewer camera inspections work and signs you might need one.
When Do You Need a Sewer Camera Inspection?
At Boss Plumbing, we often recommend a sewer camera line inspection if you’re a customer who has experienced repeated backups in their sewer line. Or if we feel something odd while using a cable machine to clean the line. Sewer cameras will quickly reveal the issue from a root obstructing the flow in a sewer system to a sewer pipe that has begun to collapse due to age, and then Boss plumbing experts will be able to quickly perform a camera repair for the obstruction.
What Are Indications I Need A Sewer Camera Inspection?
1. Slow drains
It’s normal to have experienced a slow bathtub drain on occasion. But slow-moving drains may occur by a red flag to something much larger within your sewer line. Suppose you hear gurgling in conjunction with the slow draining or the sound of water even when they’re not running. In that case, a sewer camera inspection is warranted.
2. Strong odors
Suppose you continuously smell a sewage odor coming from your drains, lingering outside your home or in your bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. In that case, this is a strong indication that you’ve got a significant sewer line issue. A camera inspection can help determine if your drains are slow for several reasons, for example, root intrusion or another type of obstruction.
3. Mold or water damage
A leaky sewer line often leaves water damage on your property. The damage, in turn, can lead to mold and mildew growth. Mold growing in a home can lead to health problems all on its own. So, if you begin to smell a musty, moldy odor in and around your home, call us at Boss Plumbing, and we’ll come out to inspect your sewer lines.
4. Lush green patches on your lawn
One of the surest indications that your sewer line has burst besides a strong smell is that water will start seeping into your yard. The water will start leaving lush, overgrown green patches of grass on your lawn. Once this happens, give us at Boss Plumbing a call, and we’ll come out with our sewer camera to inspect your line. Usually, the most common cause is a tree-root intrusion.
How Does The Camera Inspection Procedure Work?
The sewer camera inspection itself only takes a few minutes. One of our trained Boss Plumbing technicians will run a flexible borescope camera down through your home’s drainpipe into the sewer lines and other underground pipes. It will feed images and video to a monitor above ground. The technician is looking for any flaws, imperfections, or severe problems, explaining why you’re experiencing problems.
Once it is done, your Boss Plumbing technician will discuss with you their findings and a plan forward. The entire process, including set-up, inspection, and review, usually does not take more than an hour to complete.
How Much Does A Sewer Camera Inspection Cost?
The cost of a sewer scope inspection will depend on how many pipes are being inspected, where you live, the company is performing the task and several other variables. Traditionally, the prices will range from $125-$300. This may seem very expensive. However, when you consider the alternative, repairing a broken sewer line that costs around $250-$300 per foot of repaired line, the former is quite affordable. Don’t forget repairing and replacing an entire sewer line or a line containing a major structural fault can easily cost thousands of dollars. This is another reason it’s easy to see why sewer camera inspection is considered an affordable option since it can give a thorough pipeline inspection and catch smaller problems before they become more complex and expensive.
What Can A Sewer Camera Inspection Uncover?
As the homeowner, you might be wondering what we’ll be looking for during the sewer camera inspection. Our technicians will typically watch the video feed on the monitor for any of the following:
- Tree roots growing through the sewer line
- Separation or failure of the line
- Serious clogs or blockages in the sewer line
- Cracks, damage, or imperfections in the line
- Potential rupture or damage to the septic tank (if present)
- The type of material used for the line (clay, concrete, plastic, metal, etc.)
Why Should I Choose Sewer Camera Repair Over Traditional Repairs?
Saving You Time and Money
If there is one key advantage of sewer camera repair, it is saving our customers time and money. Here at Boss Plumbing, we can use our sewer inspection camera repair to quickly and easily find whatever problems may exist within a sewer line. In doing so, we may be able to enact repairs without having to put our customers through the inconvenience of digging up the sewer line itself. Depending on the problem, we may be able to perform trenchless sewer line repair by injecting epoxy-like materials in and around the sewer line itself, which is possible when the line is cracked or damaged.
You Can See for Yourself
Since you may know little if anything about plumbing, it is likely that over the years you may have dealt with plumbers whom you suspected may have been less than truthful with you about the need for certain repairs. But when you call on us here at Boss Plumbing, our sewer camera repair and inspection services will take away the doubt from your mind. By being able to watch the video monitor along with your Boss Plumbing technician, you will be able to see for yourself what is occurring in and around your sewer line.
Fast Service
If there is one thing we are known for here at Boss Plumbing, it is our fast and reliable service. By letting us put our sewer camera repair and inspection skills to work for you, it will be possible to get repairs done much faster than you anticipated. Since we will be able to know what the problem is within a matter of minutes, we can get right to work fixing your plumbing system.
Boss Plumbing-Los Angeles’s Sewer Camera Experts
The next time your bathtub is slow to drain, the toilet clogs yet again, or you walk through your backyard, and it feels like marshland, don’t ignore the problem-address it. Contact Boss Plumbing. A simple phone call is all it will take for us to come out, conduct a sewer camera inspection and locate the source of your problem. With our fast and reliable service, you’ll be glad you took the time to fix the problem instead of ignoring it and having to deal with the clean-up after the fact.
We look forward to hearing from you!