Sewer Camera Inspection in Dunwoody, GA

Check the drains before new finishes go in

A remodel is the one time the floor, walls and sometimes the slab under a bathroom or kitchen are open or about to be. A sewer camera inspection before that happens shows the condition of the drain lines you are about to bury under new tile and cabinets. In a Dunwoody remodel, finding a cracked cast iron drain or a sagging branch now is far less disruptive than discovering it after the new floor is grouted.

Why remodels bring old drain problems to light

Older houses often have cast iron or other aging drain pipe under the bathrooms and kitchen. It may have worked quietly for years, but corrosion inside the pipe, cracks or a partly collapsed section can be close to failing. A remodel often adds load too: a second sink, a larger shower, a relocated toilet or a new bathroom puts more water through lines that were sized and laid for the original layout. Knowing what you have lets you decide whether to keep it, repair a section or replace the run while access is easy.

What to film and when

1. During planning. Film the branch drain under the room being remodeled and the building drain it feeds, before the design is final.
2. If you are adding fixtures. Include the main sewer, since it will carry the extra flow.
3. After demolition. With floors open, exposed sections can be checked again and any concerns confirmed.
4. Before closing up. A quick pass through new drain work confirms it is clean and free of construction debris.

Turning footage into remodel decisions

If the old drain under the room is sound, it can usually stay, with new connections tied in carefully. If it shows heavy scale, cracks or a sag, replacing that run while the floor is open is usually the practical move, through drain repair in Dunwoody. Lines under a slab may need cutting and digging, which is where drain excavation comes in. Problems in the sewer outside the house are a separate scope covered under main sewer line repair.

Working with your remodeler

Share the recording and the written findings with your contractor or designer so the plan reflects what is under the floor. If drain replacement is added, it should be scheduled before waterproofing, tile and cabinets, not squeezed in afterward. Ask that the drain work and the finish work be described separately in the proposals so you can see where one ends and the other begins.

Dunwoody permits and inspections

In Dunwoody, a DeKalb County city, a stand-alone plumbing repair generally needs a trade component permit, issued before the work begins. When drain work goes underground, the city's code calls for an underground plumbing inspection once the pipe is laid and before any backfill. The city's permit FAQ also says photos are not accepted in place of inspections, so treat our footage as your own record, not a stand-in for the city's visit.

Preparing the house

Clear the bathroom or kitchen enough for the technician to reach the toilet, a cleanout or an open drain, and point out every fixture you plan to move or add. If demolition has started, leave exposed pipe in place until it has been filmed.

Remodel questions from Dunwoody homeowners

Will filming the drains damage anything in the room?

No. The camera goes in through a toilet opening, a cleanout or an open drain, so nothing has to be cut to film the lines. If a toilet is lifted for access, it is reset on a new wax ring afterward. Any mess stays around the access point, which is one more reason to film before the new finishes go in.

Is the main sewer worth filming for a bathroom remodel?

If you are only replacing finishes, the branch under the room is the priority. If you are adding a bathroom or more fixtures, the main line will carry more water, so it makes sense to confirm it has no roots, sags or breaks before the new space adds to the load.

What if the drains turn out to be fine?

Then you can remodel with confidence and keep the existing piping. The recording still has value: it documents the condition of the drains at the time of the remodel, which helps any future plumber and gives a buyer useful information if you sell.

Film the drains before the tile goes down

Planning work on a Dunwoody kitchen or bath? Call (404) 409-4448 to have the drains filmed while changing them is still simple.