5 Signs You Need a Professional Drain Camera Inspection

A slow drain is an annoyance. A recurring blockage that causes backups and bad odors is a serious problem.

While a simple plunger or a chemical drain cleaner might provide a temporary fix for minor clogs, they do nothing to address the underlying issue. If you’re dealing with persistent drainage problems, it’s a sign that there’s a more serious issue hidden deep within your pipes.

Before you resort to costly and destructive “guesswork” excavation, the smart, modern solution is a professional drain camera inspection. A specialist can feed a high-resolution camera into your pipes to see exactly what’s wrong and where. Here are five signs that it’s time to call in the pros.

1. You Have Recurring Clogs You clear a blockage in your sink or shower, and everything works fine for a week, but then it clogs up again. This is the #1 sign that the problem isn’t a simple hairball near the drain opening. A recurring clog indicates a more significant obstruction further down the line—such as a buildup of grease, a foreign object, or even a partial pipe collapse—that a simple snake can’t fully clear.

2. Multiple Drains are Backing Up Simultaneously If your shower won’t drain, your toilet is gurgling, and your kitchen sink is backing up all at the same time, you have a major problem. This indicates a blockage in your main sewer line, the single large pipe that all your home’s drains feed into. This is not a DIY job. A camera inspection is essential to find the location of the mainline blockage before it causes a major sewage backup in your home.

3. You Notice Foul Odors That Won’t Go Away A persistent smell of sewage in or around your property, even when the drains seem to be working, is a serious red flag. This can be caused by a crack or break in a sewer line that is leaking waste and sewer gas into the surrounding soil. A camera inspection can pinpoint the exact location of the breach so it can be repaired.

4. Your Drains are Slow and Make Gurgling Noises When water is draining, do you hear strange gurgling sounds coming from your pipes or toilet? This noise is caused by trapped air being displaced by water as it struggles to get past an obstruction. It’s an early warning sign that a blockage is forming and the pipe’s airflow is compromised.

5. You Are Buying a New Property Before you finalize the purchase of a new home, a pre-purchase drain camera survey is one of the smartest investments you can make. The main sewer line is one of the most expensive components of a home to repair or replace. An inspection can reveal hidden problems like root intrusion, cracks, or “bellied” (sagging) pipes that could lead to thousands of dollars in unexpected repairs down the road. It gives you peace of mind or powerful leverage for negotiation.

If you’re experiencing any of these signs, don’t wait for the problem to get worse. A professional drain camera inspection is a fast, non-destructive, and cost-effective way to get a definitive diagnosis and a clear path to a permanent solution.