Sewer Line Inspections: What You Should Know

Your home's sewer lines are important in keeping waste out of your home, but they aren't immune to problems. Just like the pipes in your bathroom and kitchen, your home's sewer lines should get the preventive maintenance needed to keep things flowing properly.

At Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Yavapai, Coconino, and Maricopa Counties, we're well-versed in completing the sewer line inspections and delivering traditional and trenchless sewer line repairs needed to locate the problem, providing immediate relief to your system, and ensuring the prevention of a multitude of other issues for your home and plumbing system like sewage backup and water damage throughout your property.

What's a Sewer Line Inspection?

But how can a sewer inspection stop all that? Like a routine plumbing inspection, a sewer inspection is done to measure the current condition of your sewer lines.

This can include looking for things like a broken line, a major clog, or a weak spot causing problems for the rest of your home's plumbing.

Advantages of Sewer Line Video Inspections

Sewer lines are installed under your home's foundation, landscaping, and driveway, making it difficult to visually inspect the lines when a sewage or drainage problem is suspected. To assess the condition of your sewer line quicker and more thoroughly, a sewer video inspection should be performed as soon as possible.

With a video camera inspection, plumbers can get a better idea of what exactly is causing your sewer troubles and immediately collect some useful information to get started on a repair. For example, if roots have infiltrated a crack in your sewer line, plumbers are not only able to spot the physical roots, but the plumber will also be able to know things like:

• How deep the damaged sewer line is
• How many pipes will need to be replaced
• Where exactly the problem is located on your property

Sewer video inspection allows the plumber to avoid completely tearing up your landscaping in the name of repair. Instead, a much smaller trench can be dug out, or trenchless sewer line repair processes can be implemented to avoid large amounts of digging altogether – and spending loads of money on costly repair methods!

Things Commonly Found During Sewer Line Inspections

Over our years of serving Prescott, Camp Verde, Flagstaff, and other parts of Arizona, we've completed our fair share of sewer line inspections. During yours, our team will be on the lookout for some of the most common causes of your home's drainage problems:

Offset Pipes

An offset occurs in your pipes when two sections don't line up correctly. While a small offset is natural, large offsets may cause your plumbing joints to become loose, causing sewage to begin to leak out.

Common causes of offset sewer lines include:

• Eroding soil
• Settling soil
• Soil movement from root growth
• Improper pipe installation

To repair offset pipes, the entire area will likely need to be dug up for both pipe sections to be repaired and relined properly.

Low Areas

Also referred to as sag or belly, low spots in your sewer lines can be caused by shifting soil and poor soil compaction. It's common and usually doesn't require repair unless it's severe, which is something a plumber will let you know.

The low areas are bad and become the perfect spot for waste, paper, and more to be collected, resulting in repeat clogs and reduced flow capacity for your sewage pipes.

Physical Intrusions

If you're dealing with more than one slow-moving drain, there's a chance that your sewer is clogged. A sewer video camera inspection is essential to locate where the clog is in your system and discover what it is.

Sewer clogs are commonly caused by:

• Grease build-up
• Tree and shrub roots
• Pests and rodents
• Toilet paper build-up
• Unflushable wet wipes

Your sewers are only as good as what they encounter from our drains. It's just another example of why it's important to understand what you can and cannot flush down your toilet or send down your kitchen garbage disposal.

How Do You Know You Have a Sewer Problem?

Request a sewer line inspection if you've noticed:

• Sewer gas odors throughout the home
• Frustratingly slow-moving drains
• Repeat clogs and service calls
• More than one clogged drain
• Soggy spots and unexplained puddles on the lawn
• Spots of uneven grass and plant growth

Sewer lines are often not thought about until a sewer problem arises. To reduce the chance of property water damage, exposure to harmful and unsafe conditions, and costly repairs, reach out to a plumber as soon as a problem arises.

How Can I Find Cheap Sewer Inspection? Sewer inspection is not something you want to cheapen out on. It's important to note that sewer inspections don't cost an arm and a leg, but sewer repairs often do and range in cost greatly.

Getting down to the problem as soon as possible is the smart move and can save you hundreds of dollars in the end, especially when the specific sewer problem can be pinpointed well before any of your yards is dug up.

When you turn to Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Yavapai, Coconino, and Maricopa Counties, you can rest assured that you're getting a sewer line inspection that is competitively priced and repairs that follow suit. To make it even easier to get your plumbing services done in a timely manner, our Northern Arizona plumbers offer a wide range of special offers throughout the year. Be sure to check out our Special Offers page to check out our latest plumbing discounts.

**Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Yavapai, Coconino, and Maricopa Counties is offering Free Sewer Line Video with proper access for the month of September when you present this coupon at the time of service.

Contact us online to request your sewer line inspection or request your free plumbing service estimate!