Sewer Camera Inspection in Cedar Grove, NC

Clues worth a camera

• Every drain in the house runs slow at the same time
• A toilet gurgles when the bathtub drains
• Water rises in the lowest shower while the washer empties
• Damp ground or an odor along the route from the house to the tank
• The line has been snaked once and the slowdown returned

If only the bathroom sink is slow, look at that sink first. A whole-house slowdown means the single pipe carrying everything outdoors deserves attention.

How wastewater leaves a Cedar Grove home

Cedar Grove is an unincorporated crossroads community in rural northern Orange County, north of Hillsborough along NC 86, with farmland, the Cedar Grove Rural Crossroads Historic District and a county park and community center. Orange County's boundary agreement with its utilities expects individual onsite water and wastewater systems outside designated service areas and allows line extensions mainly where there is an adverse public health condition. We could not confirm that rule for every road in the community, so if you pay a sewer bill, your situation is different.

For most households, then, the pipe a camera can film runs from the foundation to the tank. Inside that pipe, a plumber can spot roots at a joint, a section that has settled, a crack, a separated coupling or a plain blockage. The camera is not a tool for judging the tank or drain field. If the building drain looks clean and the house still backs up, the trouble is further along. Housing here is older than the Triangle suburbs, with a median build year of 1984 and about 42% of homes built before 1980, so farmhouse-era pipe is possible alongside newer plastic.

What changes the cost

• Whether a cleanout exists or the camera enters through a toilet or roof vent
• Whether the line is full and needs clearing before filming
• How far the tank sits from the house on a larger rural lot
• Tracing the route from above and saving the footage

Making the call

You will be connected with an independent local plumber who serves the Cedar Grove area. Say that the home is on a private onsite system and, if you know, when the tank was last pumped. Permits for plumbing work in unincorporated Orange County come from Orange County Planning & Inspections; inspection requests go to 919-245-2600.