Frisco Sewer Camera Inspection

A sewer camera and line locator are two of the most expensive tools that our Frisco plumbers have in their arsenal. Because the combined price of these two pieces of equipment will easily exceed $7000 for decent equipment, not every truck will have one or both. But that is okay because not every technician has the skills & experience to operate these somewhat fragile devices. When you combine the cost of equipment, the fragility of the camera and the experience needed to know what you are looking at and how to operate the equipment, there is an obvious cost associated with the service. This varies from one company to the next.

At Earl’s Plumbing, the charge varies on the service being provided and also the likelihood of a more significant issue being involved. In other words, let say we are at your home clearing a clogged main sewer line. The plumbers clears the line and pulls back a mass of roots on the head of the drain clearing machine. Roots (or mud) would be a clear indication of a significant problem! In this instance, if the truck has a camera & locator, the plumber will likely use the sewer camera to identify the break(s) and the locator to identify the exact location & depth. In this instance, there would likely NOT be a charge for the camera use because there is no possible way for us to give you an estimate for the break repair without knowing its location, depth and/or amount of pipe length impacted. In other words, a camera inspection might be included as an add-on to a job with no additional charges since we are already on site.

Another scenario where there “IS” a charge, might include a known sewer break OR line repair. Maybe the property owner received an estimate and wants a second opinion & estimate. In this case, there is no clog to clear at the present time because that was already done. But the use of the camera & locator would be required for us to provide an apples for apples price estimate. Similarly, we might have to use the camera & locator to map out the sewer lines under your slab to provide an accurate estimate for a spot repair, a belly repair, OR for a full sewer line replacement in Frisco. In either of these cases, there is obviously time, effort & experience required so there is a cost associated with this service. That cost could range from $250 to $700 depending upon the size of the home and scope of the work. In addition, there are instances where there is an upfront cost for this type of service BUT if we end up completing the repair, a portion of the camera & location service that was already paid might be applied as a discount towards the final invoice of a much larger and more costly repair.

A sewer camera (and locator) in an experienced plumbers hands can detect a variety of problems. Small cracks in a fitting or pipe junction that caused a Hydrostatic Pressure Test to fail but has not yet produced a root infiltration are hard to identify without a trained eye. On the other hand, roots and/or a complete separation are fairly obvious even to the unskilled eye.

Another obvious and easy to identify problem with a sewer camera is a “sewer line belly.” A belly will not cause a NOT a “Hydrostatic Pressure Test” to fail but are significant problems that usually gets worse with time and could lead to a break or pipe separation. For reference, a sewer line must have continual downward slope from the farthest fixture in the back of the home all the way to the street. The result of this downward slope that is known as “fall” in the plumbing world allows water & waste to (as the saying goes) “…flow downhill.” A belly is when the underground pipe loses this downward slope (fall) and forms a sag. On camera, a belly is identified by standing water in the pipe. The amount or depth of the standing water indicates the degree to which the problem currently exists. A minimal amount of water standing in the pipe is a problem that eventually gets worse with time versus a fully submerged camera head would indicate a significant problem. The latter of which you have probably already started to notice with clogged toilets and/or slow draining drains. Having a good locator (and camera) along with the necessary skills to operate both in conjunction with each other are important when building a proper repair estimate.

For more information on “sewer pipe bellies” and other sewer line problems and the respective repairs, check out our Frisco sewer page.

There are a variety of voluntary plumbing tests & inspections that could be done for a home that is under contract or pending sale. A significant role in determining what if any tests should be done will be impacted by the age of the home or year it was built and then to a certain extent where in the DFW area that home is located.

In regards to a “Sewer Camera Inspection” and in combination with a “Hydrostatic Pressure Test,” the rule of thumb is 15 years old or older. The overriding caveat to that “15 year” mark is if the home has ever had foundation repairs OR there are signs of foundation related issues. In that case, you absolutely want to have both a Hydrostatic Pressure Test AND a Sewer Camera Inspection performed. A successful test & inspection can rule out any major sewer line related issues.

There are other expensive plumbing repair or replacement projects that North Texas home purchasers need to be concerned about. Once again, based on age, Slab Leaks and Main Line Water Leaks should be tested for if the home is nearing or around the 20 year mark. Both of these get tested by what is called a “Static Pressure Test” which tests the homes domestic water lines for hidden leaks.

In regards to all other plumbing items, Earl’s Plumbing offers a full inspection of the homes entire Plumbing & Natural Gas systems via our VIP Advantage Membership Plan. This does not include some of the more time consuming advance testing & diagnostics mentioned earlier, but it would include some lighter testing and visual inspections of virtually everything else in the home including the Water Heaters, Shutoff Valves, Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV), Double Check Valve (irrigation), etc. The 10 year mark is when we start to see the normal wear & tear plumbing items such as this start to fail or lose full functionality. The “VIP Advantage Membership Annual Inspection” assigns a color coded letter grade to each inspected item which indicates the level of functionality. And should an item be concerning or showing signs of potential failure, an itemized estimate would be created along with a build in “VIP Advantage Member Discount.”