Sewer Camera Inspection in Sandy Springs, GA

When part of the house drains uphill

A basement bathroom, a laundry set below the level of the sewer or a lower-level wet bar cannot rely on gravity alone. Their wastewater collects in a sealed basin, and a pump lifts it up to the main drain. When that system acts up, homeowners often assume the pump has failed, and sometimes it has. Just as often, though, the real problem is in the pipes on either side of it. A sewer camera inspection helps separate the two. That distinction decides whether a Sandy Springs homeowner needs pump work, line work or both.

How an ejector system fits into the plumbing

Fixtures below the sewer drain by gravity into the basin. When the water reaches a set level, a float switches the pump on, and it pushes the contents up a discharge pipe through a check valve, which stops the water from falling back. The discharge pipe then ties into the home's gravity drain, which carries everything out to the street along with the upstairs fixtures. An alarm, if one is fitted, sounds when the level in the basin rises too high.

Where the camera helps and where it cannot go

• It can film the gravity building drain and sewer downstream of the discharge tie-in, all the way to the public main.
• It can film the tie-in fitting itself, where a poor connection can cause turbulence and buildup.
• It can often film the gravity lines from basement fixtures toward the basin, depending on access.
• It cannot pass through the pump, the check valve or the narrow pressurized discharge pipe; those are checked by other means.

Sorting a pump problem from a line problem

An alarm that sounds, a pump that runs far more often than it used to, or water rising in a basement shower can each come from different causes. A failed float or a worn pump leaves the basin overfull. A check valve that no longer seals lets the same water cycle back and forth. But if the pump is pushing into a main line that is partly blocked by roots or buildup, the discharge has nowhere to go, and the symptoms look much the same. When the pump checks out, the camera is the next step, because a restriction downstream will defeat even a new pump.

Repairs on each side of the pump

Work on the pump, float, check valve or alarm falls under sump pump and sewer pump service in Sandy Springs. A main line with roots, a sag or a broken joint is a matter for main sewer line repair, and a damaged gravity drain inside the house goes to drain repair. Buildup in sound pipe can often be cleared with hydro jetting.

Sandy Springs permit points

Sandy Springs expects a plumbing permit for residential plumbing projects; simple repairs like clearing a clogged sink are exempt, and plumbing covered by a larger building permit needs no separate one. A camera inspection is diagnostic; replacing a pump discharge line or a section of sewer is where the permit question comes in.

While you wait for the technician

Stop using the basement fixtures if water is rising, and leave the pump powered unless it is tripping a breaker. Know where the basin, its lid and the alarm are. Note how often the pump has been running, whether the alarm has sounded and whether upstairs fixtures have been slow too. Clear storage away from the basin and the main cleanout.

Ejector pump questions from Sandy Springs

Can the camera look inside the ejector basin?

There is rarely a need to. Once the technician unbolts the sealed lid, the pump, float and inlet are in plain view and can be checked by eye, so a camera adds little there. The lid stays sealed the rest of the time to keep odors in. The camera earns its place on the gravity pipes running in and out, where the problems are hidden.

Why would the alarm sound when the pump seems to work?

The pump may run but fail to move water fast enough, often because the check valve is leaking or the discharge is pushing against a partly blocked main. A float that sticks can also keep the level high. Testing the pump and filming the downstream line together usually explains which one is to blame.

Does the whole house drain through the pump?

Usually not. In most homes with a basement bathroom, only the fixtures below the sewer go to the ejector, and the rest of the house drains by gravity. Some houses sit below the street sewer and send everything through a pump. The camera and a look at the plumbing layout show which arrangement you have.

When the ejector alarm keeps sounding

If the ejector alarm in your Sandy Springs basement keeps sounding, call (404) 409-4448 so we can check the pump and film the line it empties into.