Sewer Camera Inspection in Milton, GA

When new utility lines go in near your sewer

Underground utilities are often installed without open trenches. A crew drills a path beneath the lawn and pulls a gas service, fiber cable or conduit through it, leaving only a few small pits behind. Most of the time that works cleanly. Occasionally, though, the drill passes right through a private sewer line along the way. A sewer camera inspection is the careful way to rule that out when a drain starts backing up after such work, and Milton homeowners who have seen boring crews on their street should know why it matters.

What a cross bore is

A cross bore is the spot where one buried line has been bored through another. With sewers, the usual case is a utility pipe or cable that now runs straight across the inside of a lateral. Utility locating marks generally cover the utilities' own lines rather than a homeowner's private sewer, which is one reason a crew can drill through it without knowing. The sewer may keep working for a while, but the foreign pipe catches paper, wipes and roots, and eventually a clog forms against it.

Why it matters before anyone clears a clog

The usual response to a sewer backup is to run a cable machine with a cutting head through the line. If a gas line is sitting inside that sewer, the cutter can slice into it and release natural gas into the pipe, and from there possibly into the house. That is why a camera look before mechanical cutting makes sense whenever there has been recent boring nearby. It takes a few minutes and removes a serious unknown.

Signs a backup may be linked to recent boring

• The drains worked normally until weeks or months after utility work on or near the property.
• Small paint marks, flags or patched holes appeared in the yard.
• A new utility box or pedestal stands near the route of the sewer.
• The line keeps clogging at the same distance from the cleanout, even after cleaning.

What the camera shows and what happens next

On the monitor, a cross bore looks like a smooth plastic pipe or conduit passing straight through the sewer wall, often with debris piled against it. If the camera finds a line that might carry gas, work on the sewer stops there, and the gas utility is called, since it is their line and only they should handle it. Once the utility line is dealt with, the damaged section of sewer can be put right through main sewer line repair in Milton, often with a small excavation at the marked spot, as described under sewer excavation. If the footage shows no cross bore and the clog is ordinary roots or buildup, cleaning such as hydro jetting can go ahead. The same camera handles routine inspections too, as our statewide sewer camera overview explains.

Milton permits for the sewer repair

Milton's Community Development Department handles permits for construction in the city. Under the city's code, plumbing work generally needs a permit, and permits go to contractors holding a license or to an owner who lives in the home. For buried work, a related section calls for an underground plumbing inspection after the piping is in the trench and before backfill.

If you smell gas

A rotten-egg smell in the house or near a drain is not something to investigate yourself. Leave the house, avoid switching anything on or off, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Sewer work can wait until the utility says it is safe.

Cross bore questions from Milton homeowners

How can I tell whether a boring crew worked near my sewer?

Look for traces left behind: colored paint lines or small flags on the lawn, patched pits a few feet across, and new utility boxes or pedestals. Neighbors may remember the crews too. If any of that lines up with when your drains started acting up, mention it when you call so the technician checks for a cross bore first.

Who deals with a utility line found inside my sewer?

The utility line belongs to the company that installed it, so that company needs to be contacted to handle its own pipe or cable. Keep a copy of the camera footage and note the distance where the line crosses, because that record shows exactly what was found. How the sewer repair itself is arranged is something to settle once the utility responds.

Should a cutting head ever be used without a camera first?

On many routine clogs, a cable machine is used without a camera. Where boring has taken place nearby, though, filming first is the cautious choice, because a cutter is the tool most likely to damage a gas line hidden in the sewer. If there is any doubt, ask for the camera before the cutter.

Film first after utility work

If a drain in your Milton home started backing up after utility work outside, call (404) 409-4448 and ask us to put a camera in the line before any cutting begins.