Express Sewer & Drain Blog

As a business owner, your job is to make sure that you're doing the best job possible and providing quality service or products to your customers. However, if the plumbing system of your Sacramento business is not working properly, it can halt your business in its tracks.

Knowing the condition of your pipes through regular inspection and maintenance can prevent a problem before it begins. However, if you're having sewer line issues, technicians using commercial video cameras can peer into your pipes with the aid of closed circuit TV (CCTV) and inspect them for leaks, blockage, obstructions, root growth or other issues that may be causing your sewage backups or the flooding of your business.

Benefits of a Sewer Camera Inspection

With the help of a video sewer inspection by a plumbing professional from Express Sewer & Drain, you can know what is wrong with your sewer pipes and decide how best to proceed. If the inspection indicates slipped or broken pipes, corroded lines, or pipe infiltration, they will likely need to be repaired or replaced to stop your sewer problems.

Essentially, with a sewer camera, plumbing professionals can clearly see any damages and diagnose the issue without digging up the land. By doing so, plumbers can determine the best course of action for resolving the problem. Plus, this is a faster method for sourcing issues, meaning businesses can be back up and running in no time. 

Step-by-Step Process of a Video Sewer Inspection

To inspect your business's sewer line, a trained technician will insert a professional video camera into your pipe and will inspect the line through the following steps.

1. Access the Pipe

Most businesses have a cleanout port access for their sewer line and a technician will use this entry to access your pipe. For properties that do not have built-in insertion points, one will need to be made so that the sewer camera can be inserted into the pipe. This will require the technician to dig a small hole to get to the pipe, and then make a small hole in the pipe through which to insert the camera.

2. Insert the Camera

The second step of the process is the insertion of the sewer camera into the pipe. The camera is small and sends a live feed to a monitor/CCTV via a fiber optic cable, which allows the technician to view the inside of the pipe.

3. Examine the Video

Since the CCTV operator is watching in real-time, they can use the camera to view everything as it makes its way down the pipe from the time it is inserted. During the process, plumbing experts will be able to see whether your pipes are broken, have slipped, or are obstructed by globs of hair, grease, or organic growth like tree roots. The video is recorded so that it can be reviewed for a better determination of your sewer pipe issues.

4. Review and Provide Recommendations

Once the camera has run the length of the pipe, the video is then reviewed and a recommendation can be made about how you can proceed. A sewer camera can detect a number of issues with your pipes, including:

• Blockages or obstructions
• Collapsed sewer lines and infiltration
• Commercial cleanouts
• Corrosion
• Cracked or broken pipes
• Drain lines
• Offset joints
• Pipe slippages
• Recessed taps
• Root infiltration
• Service and commercial laterals

Common Factors of Commercial Video Sewer Inspections

Commercial buildings that involve the preparation or handling of food have unique sewer issues. Sewer pipes can become clogged due to a buildup of sludge or grease on the inside of the pipes. While blockages can be caused by a lack of maintenance and not necessarily a breakage in any property, they occur more frequently in food service facilities as the use of grease, vegetable matter, and other foodstuffs that go down the drains can cause blockages.

If your sewer pipes are clogged due to these types of issues, pressure washing (hydrojetting) the sewer lines can eliminate the problem by removing blockages caused by grease, hair, cooking waste, food oil, fibrous food materials, and tree roots. When this service is performed on an annual basis, you should be able to operate your business free of the threat of your plumbing backing up and risking issues with the health department.

Grease traps are another big offender in commercial kitchens and need to be a part of your annual preventative maintenance schedule. An inspection with a sewer camera will give you a clear picture of the condition of your pipes.

Let Us Examine Your Pipes

Like sewer cameras, modern technology offers sewer line repair solutions that are less invasive than traditional methods and will not require busting out the floors of your building. Trenchless sewer line repair and replacement use several techniques and the method used will depend on your particular situation.

If your business in Sacramento is having sewer problems, contact Express Sewer & Drain for a sewer video inspection. We can quickly evaluate your sewer lines, determine a solution, and work with you to get your pipes flowing freely all year.