Broken pipes are the one of those things that no one wants to encounter! No one likes to find out they need their pipes replaced. I actually went through something like that recently. My toilet wouldn’t flush probably all of a sudden and it was taking a long time and I was getting frustrated. I tried every trick on the internet; baking soda and vinegar, dawn and vinegar, some random remedy that did nothing but stink up my bathroom for days, among other ideas. Then I went the chemical route of draino and the snaking method; whatever could possibly be thought of, I tried it but the problem only got worse. Finally I called in a professional. The plumber tried a few things but then finally he went out to his car and got something called a video pipe for video pipe inspection.

What a video pipe is, is when a small camera is placed on top of a flexible rod that can wind its way down drains and into the sewers, all the while videoing, so as to find out if there are blockages, breakages, etc. If can maneuver around bends and corners quite easiliy. Sure enough, the camera halted in front of a huge collection of who knows what, stuck way deep in the pipes. I needed sewer line repair.

Video pipe inspection is sometimes known as sewer camera inspection. It’s pretty much what it sounds like; the camera helps the technician check the sewers for cracks, leaks, breakages, obstructions, etc without having to pull apart the pipe itself as well as most likely, the landscape or buildings and homes around it.

Once the camera inspection is done, if any kind of problem was found, the method of either drain cleaning or trenchless pipe repair can be started, depending on what the pipes need. For simple sewer line repair, a smaller pipe than the original is inserted using a similar, flexible cord as the video pipe inspection. The pipe or bag that is being using to patch the current pipe is pulled through, as well as the camera so that it is possible to see exactly where it needs to be mended. This completely does away with the need for pulling up the entire pipe to repair one part or even having to replace the whole thing. It can be patched up using trenchless methods.

Trenchless methods have actually been around for quite awhile; almost 15 years but homeowners are just now finding out that this is an option. This ‘no dig’ method is becoming increasingly popular with homeowners, largely because of the fact that the landscape or parts of their homes do not have to be dug up in order to fix the pipes or sewer lines. Around 73% said they would rather pay a little extra to preserve the landscape and use the trenchless method than ruin their landscapes.

However, this method is actually less expensive. As well as being cleaner and safer, it can save homeowners up to 40% of what they would have to pay for the traditional method of pipe replacement.