If you live in the Chicagoland area and have a single-family home with a basement, you know the importance of having your sewer line rodded frequently to prevent flooding. But sometimes rodding is not enough to eliminate the blockage and some excavation might be needed.
But before you excavate, you will want to have a video inspection of your sewer line to identify what the problem is, and where it is. Here are some of the problems a video inspection can detect.
- Clogged sewer line. If rodding does not eliminate the clog, a video inspection can identify where the clog is.
- Broken or damaged pipes. A video inspection will give you the precise location of cracked, broken, or damaged pipes. Sometimes the soil surrounding the sewer line can shift, resulting in misalignment. Additionally, older pipes not made of PVC can eventually wear down, leading to collapse.
- Foreign obstructions. Tree roots are the most common culprit. As they grow, they can invade pipes, causing major obstructions. But rocks, leaves and other objects can also get in the pipes. The inspection can identify where the problems are.
- Leaking joints. Broken seals in between the pipes can lead to leaking joints.
Here is how a sewer line inspection works. A flexible and compact high-resolution sewer pipe camera (also known as a sewer inspection camera) is fed into the sewer line. These cameras are highly advanced and can provide a clear picture of even the smallest problems with perfect precision.
Under normal conditions, the camera is attached to a flexible rod that is then inserted into the pipes. A sewer professional will then examine the pipes to detect problems. In more complex cases, the camera will be connected to a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) which is a machine that can move through the lines.
