The Benefits of a Video Pipe Inspection in Your Building

The plumbing and drainage systems in your commercial facility require regular inspections and maintenance to keep them working at their best. The difficulty with this process is that these systems can be very extensive, and frequently there are areas in the pipe system that are remote and difficult to access for inspection, cleaning, or repair. If problems develop in these locations, it can be very expensive and time-consuming simply to find the issue, let alone repair it. Video pipe inspection is a reliable technique that allows your plumbing professional to visually evaluate your plumbing and drainage systems from a distance.

The Basics of Video Pipe Inspection

Video pipe inspection involves placing a small mobile video camera inside your plumbing system, sewer pipes, or storm drains. The camera is mounted on a sturdy wheeled base that can be manipulated from a video screen and control panel, somewhat like a radio-controlled toy car. The inspector “drives” the camera into your plumbing system, and as it moves through the pipes, it sends back video images that can be seen on a video screen. Using this technique, the technician can visually inspect even the deepest or remotest sections of your plumbing system. He can locate areas where the pipes have been damaged, broken, cracked, or clogged without the need to dig up large sections of the pipe system. When he knows exactly where the problem is, he can concentrate on that area alone, removing the need for large-scale excavations to locate the trouble.

What Can Happen to Plumbing and Drain Systems?

Over time, plumbing and drainage systems can develop problems that prevent them from working properly. Some of the more common issues seen in commercial plumbing systems include:

• Breaks and cracks: Plumbing and drain pipes can be damaged, broken, or cracked by shifts or changes in the soil around them. This type of damage can cause sewage or water leaks in drain systems, or could account for excess water waste in plumbing systems. Drainage and sewage disposal systems may not work properly if there is physical damage to the pipes.
• Joint problems or damage to seals: The video inspection process allows close-up views of pipe connections and joints. It can also be used to check the condition of seals at joints and connections.
• Clogs: Both drainage and plumbing pipes can develop clogs. Build-up of scale or other material inside plumbing pipes can eventually restrict or stop the flow of water into your facility. The material sent down toilets or drain systems can sometimes create a clog that stops up the drain. In restaurants or commercial kitchens, grease can accumulate in the drains and eventually produce a stubborn clog.
• Tree roots: Tree roots tend to grow toward sources of water and nutrition, so if there is even a small leak in your plumbing and drainage system, it could be further damaged by roots growing into the pipes. Tree roots can block the pipe system and, in severe cases, break pipes so severely they must be replaced.

Benefits of a Video Pipe Inspection

• Even remote areas of your pipes and drains can be visually inspected.
• Efficiency and speed of regular maintenance checks is increased.
• Inspections can be performed with minimal need for digging or excavation to access pipes.
• Problems can be found and isolated without expensive and disruptive exploratory digging to find pipe breaks, leaks, and other issues.
• Maintenance costs for commercial plumbing systems of all sizes can be reduced.
• Inspections can be recorded for careful examination later or for documentation purposes.
• Pipes of varying sizes can be inspected using the same camera equipment.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection, and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial, and Residential settings. For more information on video pipe inspection and how it can improve the maintenance of your plumbing and drainage systems, and to view projects we’ve worked on, contact Sobieski Commercial!