Camera Inspection

A cable can clear a clog without ever telling anyone what caused it. A camera run down the same line after clearing shows the pipe material, the condition of the joints, whether the line has bellied — sagged low enough in the middle to hold standing water and catch debris every time — and whether roots have worked into a joint. On a recurring clog, that is usually the difference between clearing the same spot every few months indefinitely and finding out it is a bellied section or a root intrusion that clearing alone will never resolve.

It is also the practical way to know what is under a yard or a slab before anyone digs. A camera with a locator can mark the exact depth and position of a problem from above ground, which turns a guess about where to excavate into a marked spot, and it is usually cheaper than an exploratory dig even when a dig eventually turns out to be necessary.

What this usually involves

• Pipe material and condition, not just whether it is clear
• Locating bellies, offset joints and root intrusion
• Locating a problem's depth and position before any digging
• Documentation for a recurring or older-home line
• Baseline before jetting a line of unknown condition

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