What Are Camera Inspections and Plumbing: Everything You Need to Know
Did you know that hair, soap, oil, and even grease can end up clogging your drains at home?
While you may think that these small things flush down perfectly, the fact is that they could be building up without you realizing it. Since you can’t look through your drains by yourself, a camera inspection is an effective way to take a closer look at the plumbing of your home. Whether you want to look into your kitchen drain or take a complete sewer video, an experienced plumber with the right tools can get the job done. Want to learn more about how plumbers can use video cameras to inspect your home’s plumbing? Here’s everything you need to know about plumbing cameras.
What Are Camera Inspections?
Camera inspections are an incredibly effective way to evaluate the state of your plumbing at home. These inspections are handled by experienced plumbers and include a high-quality camera that can help spot even the slightest of issues. Here’s everything you need to know about camera inspections.
Different Kinds of Drain Cameras
Plumbers don’t just drop normal cameras down your drain; they actually use special plumbing cameras. These cameras are unique as they are incredibly compact and connected via a cable to the main screen. This long cable lets you thread the camera down your pipes at home to get an accurate view of your home’s plumbing. While it’s true that these cameras come in a variety of different models, high-quality plumbing cameras are always the best choice. This is because high-definition cameras are ideal to help you spot small cracks that you may not notice in a standard video. This is why you should always go with a plumber that uses the latest, high-quality plumbing cameras.
Inspecting Your Plumbing System
Plumbing inspections usually test to see if there’s anything wrong with the pipes and drains around your home. This is true for both the internal and external drains around your property. While there are a few tests that experienced plumbers can do to test issues, a camera inspection is a more effective method. This is because the camera inspection can check for more than one thing at the same time. The video camera can capture every last detail in your home’s plumbing system, giving you a good idea of your home’s condition. The camera will essentially give you eyes inside your pipes, allowing you to see the blockages that may be there.
What makes a camera inspection so effective is the fact that the camera will let you see why the blockage occurred in the first place. If there’s anything stuck in your pipes, the camera will let you spot it quickly. This is essential if you ever lose jewelry down the drain, as you can quickly locate it in your home’s plumbing.
Should You Get It Repaired or Replaced?
Plumbing cameras allow you to inspect your plumbing at home. The most important benefit of this kind of inspection is that it can help you decide whether you should repair or replace your pipes. Repairs are usually more affordable than replacements, but they may not always be the best choice in the long run. This is why an in-depth inspection is always a good idea. This kind of inspection can take a close look at every inch of your home’s plumbing and can help your plumber advise you accordingly. If there’s corrosion that may end up needing replacing in a few years, you’ll be able to spot it early. This highlights the most notable benefit of video inspections, as they allow you to spot issues early. The earlier you can spot issues, the quicker and cheaper it is to fix them. This is because there’s less damage to deal with.
How Long Does a Plumbing Camera Inspection Take?
The plumbing camera inspection is thorough. This means that the plumber will use the camera to take a close look at every inch of your home’s plumbing system. This level of detail is essential to make sure that even the slightest of cracks get noticed early. While this attention to detail is great, it also means that the process takes time. However, the time also depends on what part of your home’s plumbing system you want to be inspected. If you want to get your kitchen drain inspected, it will take a lot less time than inspecting your whole home’s plumbing system. As a quick guide, inspecting a small kitchen drain may take around an hour, while inspecting your entire home may take most of the day. The best way to know for sure is by calling in for an accurate quotation. This quotation takes the size of your home into account to help give you an accurate timeframe as well.
When Are Camera Inspections Used?
Plumbers often rely on camera inspections to get a closer look at your home’s plumbing. Modern cameras can give you a super detailed view to help you spot issues and plan repairs in advance. Here’s a quick look at when these cameras are used.
Video Camera Inspections
Video camera inspections are perfect for when you need a pair of eyes deep in your home’s plumbing. Since a home’s plumbing system is incredibly complex, a plumbing camera can get into the places that you would not be able to reach without breaking open your pipes. Having a plumbing camera can help with preventative screenings and diagnosis. This means that your plumber can use the camera to inspect the state of your pipes beforehand as well as during an issue. When using a camera to diagnose an issue, the plumber can save tons of time by visually inspecting your pipes. In simple terms, this allows you to view the blockage spots or crack for yourself without having to run through different tests. Since you can see the issue for yourself, you can save tons of time. This way, the plumber will know exactly what they need to do to fix the issue.
Sewer Line Inspections
Inspecting your sewer line is important to help ensure that everything is running smoothly. Sewers are generally closed off, making a plumbing camera the perfect tool to inspect the state of the sewer remotely. Sewers are incredibly complicated and expensive to replace, so finding and solving issues early can end up saving you both time and money.
Sewer Line Replacements
The purpose of a sewer line inspection is to determine whether or not you need to repair your sewers. In some cases, it may be beneficial to replace your sewer instead of paying for costly repairs that may not last. This is why you should use a plumbing camera to get a closer look at the exact issues in your sewer.
Sewer Line Cleanout
If you’re cleaning out your sewer, a plumbing camera can come in handy to do the final inspection. This can help you see the state of your sewer after the clean-out to make sure that everything has been taken care of.
Drain Camera Inspections
Dain cameras can come in handy for a number of different reasons. However, the most common need for a drain camera is due to lost jewelry. If you ever drop your ring in the drain, a plumbing camera is the best way to find it in your home’s plumbing. A plumbing camera can navigate your pipes to let you know exactly where your ring is. This way, the plumber will know exactly where to go to get it back for you.
Home or Business Drain Cleanings
If you’re wondering about using plumbing cameras in your commercial property, the truth is that commercial properties can benefit even more. This is because commercial real estate tends to be larger, with more complex plumbing as well. In this way, using cameras is much more effective at finding a blockage in your pipes. Plumbing cameras are incredibly sleek and compact. This means that they can fit into the smallest of drains to navigate your home’s plumbing. While it’s true that you need a longer camera to navigate larger systems, modern plumbing cameras make this easier than ever before. In this way, you can use the same technology at home and in a commercial building.
Can the Camera Inspections Catch Cracks or Blockages in Your Pipes?
When it comes to camera inspections, it’s important to understand how high-quality the footage is. Modern plumbing cameras are incredibly detailed and can let you spot even the slightest of cracks. While this still depends on the specific circumstances of your pipes, a quality camera will let you catch both cracks and blockages with ease. The most impressive part of the plumbing camera is the lights that help illuminate your pipes. This lets you see in the dark so that you can see exactly what’s causing the issue as well. If you have a blockage or damaged pipes, the camera will let you know that there’s an issue and give the information you need about what caused the problem in the first place. This is important information to get as it may help you prevent the issue from happening again in the future.
Is a Camera Inspection More Thorough Than a Normal Inspection?
A camera inspection is a lot more detailed and thorough than a normal inspection. While plumbers may have other tools that they can use to detect a blockage or crack, a camera inspection gives you a first-hand view of the issue. This also helps you notice other issues that you may have originally overlooked. There are a few other tests plumbers can do to check for issues at home. However, a camera inspection can do it all at the same time. Camera inspections are also done in high definition, allowing you to spot even the slightest of cracks before they become an issue.
Cameras can also pick up corrosion and the smallest of blockages early. As mentioned earlier, the earlier you can spot issues, the quicker and easier it is to fix them. In this way, a camera inspection is a must-have for any thorough home inspection.
What Are the Main Problems a Camera Inspection Can Detect?
When it comes to inspecting your plumbing at home, having the right tools can help you spot issues in the blink of an eye. As mentioned above, spotting issues early can ensure that you make the necessary fixes before too much damage is done. This helps you save both time and money. With this being said, what kinds of problems can camera inspections help detect? Here’s a quick look at the most common problems camera inspections can help look for.
Lost Jewelry
One of the most common reasons for needing a drain inspection is to help find lost jewelry that slipped down the kitchen sink. This is actually a lot more common than you may think, with thousands of people every year losing jewelry this way. However, hiring a plumber that offers a camera inspection can help you locate jewelry in your pipes. Using a camera for this inspection will let you know if your ring can be retrieved or if it’s been flushed out into the sewer. This can help prevent you from breaking through your pipes for no reason. The camera will let you know exactly where it is, making it easy and quick for the plumber to retrieve it.
Blocked Areas
As a homeowner, there’s nothing more frustrating than blocked pipes at home. Since plumbing is a connected system of pipes, it’s not immediately clear where the block is and what’s causing it. This is where a camera inspection can step in to help. Your pipes at home can block up for a number of reasons. This includes a build-up of toilet paper, food, oil, and even excess grease. In addition to this, the blockage doesn’t always occur in a single place, meaning that there could be more than one blockage at the same time. This is what makes plumbing cameras so effective, as they can help give you a close look at your home’s entire plumbing system. In this way, you can locate and determine the cause of the blockage quickly. You can also inspect the rest of your plumbing to make sure that ALL blockages are clear.
Cracked Sewer Lines
A cracked sewer line can end up causing a lot of damage to your home’s plumbing and the surrounding area. While sewer lines can crack for a number of different reasons, it’s important to keep an eye on them to make sure you can repair them early. Using a camera to inspect the state of your sewer lines is the most effective option. The camera will let you inspect the sewer lines in incredible detail. These cameras film in high-definition, allowing you to spot the faintest of cracks. This way, you can schedule a repair before any damage is done.
Corroded Pipes
Pipes and sewer lines don’t last forever. Eventually, the elements and pressure slowly corrode the pipes. However, this corrosion is incredibly difficult to notice beforehand due to the fact that your pipes are always hidden under the ground. This means that you’ll only know there’s a problem when it’s too late. Luckily, a camera inspection can help you spot corrosion before it becomes an issue. In this way, you can do essential maintenance and repairs before the pipes crack or break.
Sewer Pipe Channeling
Sewer pipe channeling is the process in which water cuts course at the bottom of the sewer line. This can be caused by the bottom of the pipe wearing away over time, allowing the water to take a shortcut. While this isn’t a major problem at first, it can build up and cause more issues later. This is why its so important to use cameras to inspect your home’s plumbing. Using a camera will let you spot sewer pipe channeling but will also let you spot it early. In this way, you can schedule a repair early and minimize the damage.
Pipe Bellies
Over digging, poor back filling and simple ground setting can cause your pipes to belly. This can affect the flow of water, causing a blockage in the process. These blockages aren’t as obvious as having something stuck in the pipes. This makes it very difficult to spot early. However, a camera inspection can let you inspect your home’s entire system so that you can notice any pipe bellies early.
Trapped Animals
While we may hope it never happens, small animals can sometimes get stuck in our home’s plumbing system. This could end up causing a blockage in your drain or even in your sewer lines. You will notice the blockage as it will cause water to build up, but does not let you know the reason for the blockage itself. This is why it’s so important to have a camera inspection done. A camera inspection will not just let you know that there’s an animal trapped there, but it will also show you exactly where it’s stuck. In this way, you’ll know exactly where to get it out.
Do All Plumbing Companies Offer Camera Inspections?
Plumbing cameras are incredibly high-tech and are quite expensive. The cameras used to do these inspections are not normal cameras but are incredibly small, agile, and flexible in design. The camera itself is connected to a fiber optic cable that can bend with your pipes, allowing you to see everything clearly. The camera setup also comes with lights mounted to it so that everything remains visible. While this makes inspections incredibly thorough, it’s also expensive to invest in. This is why not all plumbing companies have the equipment needed to offer camera inspections.
The truth is that only high-quality plumbing companies that invest in the latest plumbing tech can offer this service. However, its worth the price since it allows you to see exactly what the problem is with your plumbing at home. This makes it worth every penny.
How Expensive Are Camera Inspections?
Using digital cameras is an incredibly effective way to inspect your home’s plumbing. As mentioned earlier, this technology may be expensive but is worth every penny. However, the price homeowners can expect to pay for this service can vary depending on what they want to be inspected at home. Plumbing cameras can be used for a variety of different kinds of inspections. This includes using digital cameras to inspect your kitchen drain, your toilet, or your home’s entire sewer line. In this way, the larger the inspection, the more you can expect to pay for the service.
While the price can vary greatly, you can expect to pay anything from $400 for a drain inspection to around $4,000 for a full home plumbing inspection. The best way to get an accurate quote of how much this service cost is to contact Atomic Plumbing and Drain Cleaning directly.
High-Resolution Camera Inspections for Your Drains and Plumbing
If you want to do a sewer scope, the most efficient way to do so is with a sewer camera inspection. This method includes using a high-quality camera to allow you to inspect every last inch of your home’s plumbing. This way, even the smallest of cracks will get noticed early.
At Atomic Plumbing and Drain Cleaning, we always use the latest technology to ensure that your plumbing is running perfectly. If you’re thinking of hiring a plumber for a camera inspection of your home’s plumbing, contact us today!
