Sick of clogged drains, bubbling sinks, and water pooling out of nowhere? You’re not alone. Clogged, blocked, and leaky plumbing and sewage pipes are not only smelly, they can soon become a health hazard and encourage the growth of deadly bacteria. This, though, is just part of the problem. Left unaddressed, faulty pipes can cause serious property damage, such as deteriorating walls due to mould or in more serious cases, flooding from piping that has collapsed. Home and business owners are not only left without running water but also face steep repair bills.
So, before this happens, a simple solution can avoid the hassle, high repair costs, and the accompanying headaches of pipes, joints, and a sewage system that has seen better days. The condition of these can be easily assessed with a thorough drain inspection and the use of a properly outfitted drain CCTV camera. Inspections are fast, non-invasive, and reveal known problems, as well as issues that can wreak havoc down the road. Major issues, such as cracks, corrosion, collapsed pipes, tree root intrusions, and damaged fittings are all easy to spot on time and before things escalate into something much bigger.
How are Drain Inspections Done?
Drain inspections last a few hours, don’t require excavation, and give owners a detailed picture of how the plumbing and sewage piping are holding up. A certified technician uses an HD camera (basically a CCTV) placed at the end of a flexible rod. This is inserted into an opening and pushed along the length of the piping. Cameras record both video and high-quality stills and these can be viewed in real-time on an above-ground monitor. Any problematic areas are also geo-tagged for precision and if major work needs to take place. Inspections can be done on the whole property, or in places in and around leaks, blockages and reported problems.
What can Drain Inspections Reveal?
The clear-cut images and video from a drain CCTV can reveal a host of problems in your plumbing and drains:
- The overall condition of pipes and the drainage system
- The piping layout, types, and materials pipes are made of
- Blocked pipes and cracked or broken drains
- Tree root intrusions
- Collapsed piping
- The condition of the fittings
- Debris, waste and foreign objects causing clogs
- Corrosion and other issues
Clogged and blocked drains are the easiest to deal with. Plumbers use a range of tools here, depending on the type and scope of the problem. Drain snakes and augers deal with most small to medium clogs and blockage, while more serious issues are handled with pressurised water from a hydro-jet. Unless there is extensive damage to pipes and drains, such as larger collapsed sections, rarely will there be the need for excavation work.
The Benefits of Drain Inspections
In the past, discovering problems with the plumbing or drains often involved a lot of guesswork and usually led to excavation and trenching. Possibly the biggest thing going for a drain inspection with a CCTV pipe camera is that it is non-destructive and won’t leave your home a crying mess. Rods and cameras are inserted into accessible openings or fittings, and nothing is dug up. The job also is a lot shorter, with minor issues frequently resolved within an hour.
Besides this, the cost of the inspection is affordable. Moreover, the procedure can curtail unwanted issues that cost thousands of dollars if neglected. Findings are precise and detailed, and homeowners will know the exact cost of any needed repairs or parts.
Also, consider the health and safety benefits. Severely clogged pipes and blocked drains often lead to sewage backing up in sinks, showers, and tubs. Definitely not a sight you want to see.
By inspecting your piping and property regularly (an annual inspection is recommended) you’ll be ensuring the health of your plumbing and sewage system, and can cut down on costs, know the exact location of pipes, their condition, and the reasons that lead to clogging, leaks or major damage.
What’s Used?
Cameras are the centrepiece of any drain inspection. Since they go through thick and thin, they’re built tough, are IP68-rated for impact and water resistance, and are encased in a metal housing. The lens provides a wide field of view, has a pan and tilt function and zooming capability to capture hard-to-reach places, and is coated with sapphire glass for scratch resistance. Clarity is provided by industry-leading sensors, and scenes are backlit with a dual-tone LED light. For geotagging and precision, most drain CCTV cameras are additionally fitted with transmitters (or sondes) that relay GPS coordinates to the monitoring hub.
The rods attached to the camera are made either of fibreglass or ABS plastic. They come in different lengths, ranging from 30 to 120 metres, depending on whether the inspection is on a residential residence or a larger commercial and industrial site. Images and video are beamed from the drain camera to the monitoring hub or a handheld screen via coaxial cable. Hubs are usually with 4k resolution, house the controls, and store recorded data internally or on an SD card, or beam it wirelessly to a Bluetooth-capable device, such as a phone.
Complete inspection kits come with a few practical accessories. High-end units have their own weather-resistant carry case with space for extras like camera skids to stabilise cameras, wheeled reels for extra mobility and supplied sondes.
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