Sewer Camera Inspection in Kennesaw, GA

Something went down that should not have

Sometimes the cause of a backup is not a mystery at all. A toddler flushed a toy, a guest used a pack of wipes, or a phone slipped off a shelf. Even then, a sewer camera inspection is worth doing, because it shows exactly where the object stopped and whether it can be pulled back, broken up or pushed on safely. It also answers a second question Kennesaw homeowners often overlook: why did it catch there instead of washing through?

Common culprits on camera

• Wipes. Even those sold as flushable hold together far longer than toilet paper and tend to rope together at snags.
• Paper towels and feminine products. Both swell and resist breaking down.
• Dental floss and hair. They tie other debris into a mat.
• Toys, bottle caps and small household items. These lodge in toilet traps or at the first tight fitting.
• Kitchen grease. It cools and hardens on pipe walls, catching everything else that passes.

Why an object stops where it does

In a healthy line, small items often pass through. They stop at places where the flow is disturbed: the toilet's built-in trap, a tight fitting, a joint where two sections no longer line up, a root mass hanging from a joint, or a low spot where water slows down. The camera shows what the object is caught on. If it is a joint offset or roots, removing the item fixes today's backup, but the defect will catch the next thing too.

Getting it out

The footage shapes the approach. An object in the toilet trap is often recovered by lifting the toilet and reaching it from below. Something farther down may be pulled back with a retrieval attachment on a cable. Wads of wipes and grease can be cut apart and flushed out with hydro jetting in Kennesaw, followed by another camera pass. If the item is stuck in a branch line inside the house and the pipe is damaged, drain repair may follow; if the main line has a defect that keeps snagging debris, main sewer line repair is the lasting fix.

Keeping it from happening again

• Put a small lidded bin next to every toilet for wipes and hygiene products.
• Keep toilet lids down in homes with young children.
• Pour cooking grease into a container and put it in the trash once it sets.
• Use strainers in kitchen and shower drains.

Kennesaw permits if repair follows

Removing an object leaves the plumbing as it was, but repairing a defect the camera finds may not. Kennesaw, in Cobb County, takes permit applications online through its Building Services Department, which also has a homeowner affidavit for owners who pull their own permits and can say whether a given repair needs one.

When you call

Tell the technician what you think went down, when, and which fixture was used. Stop using that fixture and any others that back up. If it was a valuable item, say so, since retrieval rather than flushing it onward becomes the priority.

Flushed-object questions from Kennesaw homes

Are flushable wipes safe for a sewer line?

They are a frequent cause of trouble. Wipes are made to hold together when wet, so they break down far more slowly than toilet paper. In a line with roots, an offset or a sag, they catch and build into a plug. Putting them in the trash is the simple way to avoid the problem.

Will the camera find a toy my child flushed?

Usually. Many toys lodge in the toilet's trap, which is checked first, often by lifting the toilet. If the toy made it past, the camera follows the drain until it finds it, and the distance counter shows exactly where it is so the right retrieval method can be chosen.

Can the object just be pushed through to the public sewer?

It is not a good idea. An item pushed farther along may snag at another fitting, at a defect or near the connection to the main, where it is harder to reach. Pulling it back or breaking it up is usually the safer option, and the footage shows which is possible.

Find the object first

If something is stuck in a drain at your Kennesaw home, call (404) 409-4448 and we will find it on camera before deciding how to get it out.