Drain Cameras

 

Why a drain camera is useful to clear a blocked drain

A CCTV drain camera is a camera which is attached to a long cable, enabling it to be fed down the pipe to see inside the pipe and determine what is causing a blocked drain. The camera is waterproof and is able to travel through standing water so it is ideal when a plumber needs to check the condition of a pipe without digging it up. The camera takes video footage of the pipe and is also able to capture still shots too.

 

Once the cause and location of the blockage has been determined, a high pressure water jetter should then be used to jet the line clean. Without seeing the blockage, the high pressure water jetter cannot be concentrated in the right area. This would be like pressure washing your driveway blindfolded! Without a camera, it takes extra time to clear the blockage and time is money. Once the blockage has been cleared, the drain camera should be reinserted once more to ensure it has been removed entirely.

 

It is important to be aware of plumbers who may be cheaper than others but have low quality equipment. One of our clients advised us he originally paid a cheaper plumber to clean a pipe with a camera and jet rodder. The plumber advised him there were tree roots in the pipe under the concrete driveway and it needed to be dug up and repaired.

 

Our client had heard of pipe relining, a no dig solution to fixing pipes and called us. We were asked to provide a quote to reline the pipe. When we inserted our camera, we found no tree roots only a build-up of leaves in that section of pipe and the pipe wasn’t even under the driveway! It was under the grass area and out to the side of the home.

 

We were able to show our client this misdiagnoses on our large high quality camera screen. He was very happy he had saved time and money calling us!

 

The importance of high quality equipment

There are many different types of drain cameras and water jetters which are suited to different jobs. Choose a plumber that specialises in blocked drains and has the best equipment available to assist you with your problematic plumbing issues. Make sure your plumber has a variety of cameras, jetters with various nozzles and their vans are fully stocked with the required equipment. They should have all the tools on board to clear even the toughest blockages.

 

Not all plumbers that have a drain jetter carry varied equipment to suit each type of blockage. For example they may only have one or two jetter nozzles in their tool kit. Most jobs require the assistance of several different nozzles to clean the pipe thoroughly.

 

If tree roots have made their way into the pipework, the angle they are growing in on may require more than one nozzle to clear it. The longer it takes to clear the pipe, the more money it costs and it is important to complete the job quickly and efficiently.

 

A plumber that is a blocked drain specialist should carry at least 10-15 different types of jetter nozzles, and know when and how to use them in each situation.