One slow drain usually means a local clog: hair in the shower, grease and food in the kitchen sink. A plunger or a hand cable clears it, and it stays clear.
Repeat backups point somewhere else. If the same drain clogs again within weeks, or several fixtures gurgle and slow down together, the blockage sits in a branch line or in the main sewer line, past where a quick fix reaches.
Signs the trouble is in the main line
- Water comes up in the shower or tub when you flush a toilet or run the washer.
- Two or more drains run slow at once.
- Toilets gurgle, or you smell sewer gas indoors.
- Water pools around the cleanout in the yard.
How a camera inspection works
We feed a waterproof camera on a flexible cable into the line, usually through a cleanout. It sends live video to a screen above ground, and a transmitter in the camera head lets us find its spot and depth from the surface.
You watch what we watch: grease build-up, roots pushing in at a joint, a low spot where the pipe has sagged and holds water, a crack, or a section that has collapsed.
What the video tells you
The camera turns a guess into a plan. Grease and soft clogs clear with cleaning. Roots grow back, so clearing them comes with a talk about how often to repeat it, or about repairing the joint they came through. A sag, a crack or a collapse needs that stretch of pipe repaired or replaced, and the camera has already marked where to dig.
Keep the lines clear between visits
- Wipe grease into the trash before you wash pans.
- Flush toilet paper only. Wipes sold as flushable still snag in sewer lines.
- Keep strainers in sinks and showers.
Our Rattle Membership includes a free camera inspection, and so does our $89 home inspection offer. Call (623) 707-3869 to book one.
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