Just when least expected, the bathroom really smells bad, or multiple sinks or toilets won’t drain well. This can be a big emergency plumbing problem. If water can’t get out of the house fast, a sewer line or septic tank may have serious issues.

In the past, the answer was to use the “snake” and send it down into the pipe to try to break up the obstruction, but it can easily be root intrusion or a broken or settled pipe. Now, plumbers can literally send down a video camera so they can see exactly what the obstruction is and decide what must be done to remove or repair it.

If the video camera has shown a simple obstruction or buildup is restricting flow, they can use a Jetter that can hydro scrub the pipes clean. If it’s not that simple, then the camera enables the plumber to be able to electronically locate the head of the camera from above ground, in order to pinpoint the exact location of the problem. No more digging up the yard to find pipes, plumbers can now dig a simple hole and replace only the section that needs it.

For example, Gene Hubbard at Accurate Plumbing in Chico, California reported a situation that happens frequently around their Northern California service area, that of septic line settling. “Over the years, septic line pipes can separate just slightly from the septic tank itself due to soft sediments or shifting in the ground over time. This can allow the end of the pipe to settle below the septic tank’s supply hole, seriously restricting flow. An hour with the video camera, our diagnosis is complete with us standing directly over the spot that needs to be fixed.”

There are many things that can restrict flow in a sewer line, and plumbers can now see them all with the video camera:

– Root Intrusions
– Collapsed and Cracked Pipes
– Separated Pipes
– Holes in Pipes
– Septic Tank Separations
– Any Obstructions from household items to construction debris

Orangeberg pipes must be replaced by code in many areas of the US, and the video camera is an invaluable tool plumbers now use to identify underground the extent of the pipes they need to replace. For bathroom and kitchen remodels and construction jobs plumbers can use the video camera to easily locate existing lines in the house to be able tie on branch lines needed for the project quickly and affordably.

Plumbing video cameras typically come into use much more in the winter months when rain and ground water are effecting peoples’ properties most, it’s part of how the change in seasons effects water and peoples’ daily lives underground around their homes.

To learn more about Video Cameras in Plumbing, talk to Gene yourself (www.accurateplumbingchico.com).

As technology advances so quickly these days, this is just another great use for a video camera. When used in plumbing, video cameras look like the super timesaving plumbing device for the future.