Once upon a time, if you had a clogged main drain, your plumber would either use an auger to force out the clog or they would attempt to blow out the clog with high-pressure water. This often worked, but recurring problems would mean you needed to dig up a pipe since it could otherwise be difficult to know the main reason for the clog. With the advent of sewer cameras, cleaning the main drain line from your home has become much easier.

What Is a Sewer Camera?

A sewer camera is simply a small camera on a long, flexible rod or cable. It is fed down your drainpipe, where it then sends images of the inside of your drains back to the video screen in your plumber's hand. The camera is equipped with small but bright lights that illuminate everything in the pipe, and the flexible rod ensures the camera can traverse the entire pipe, no matter how it twists and turns. Further, a recording is made of the entire trip down the drain, which means your plumber can take their time to carefully assess the state of the pipe for any existing or developing problems.

How Does a Sewer Camera Help With Drain Cleaning?

Although many clogged main drains are relatively simple blockages that can be removed with an auger, there are sometimes more severe problems. For example, if the pipe has cracked or collapsed, attempting to auger through the debris may make the problem worse. A camera can also pick up issues like tree root incursion into the sewer line, which may require ongoing treatment to ensure the roots don't return once your plumber clears them. Cameras can also find issues before they become a major problem, such as pipe corrosion or rust, cracks, and other types of leaks.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Sewer Camera?

Although a skilled plumber can often deduce the problem simply from the symptoms occurring in your home, they can't typically pinpoint exactly where it is occurring. A sewer camera also has a positioning system located on it. When the camera picks up a blockage or other problem in the drain, the plumber can check the device coordinates to determine where the problem is located. If a pipe must be dug up and repaired or replaced, your plumber will only have to dig in a small area of the yard instead of digging up the entire pipe in order to locate the issue.

Contact a sewer cleaning contractor to learn more.