Video inspections can provide invaluable information about the state of a drainpipe’s interior. These inspections can help if you have a clogged drain inside your house or a problem with the main sewer line that leads from your home to the sewer hookup at the road.

Whether you’re having your sewer line inspected as routine maintenance or because it’s been acting up, you’ll want to know what to expect at inspection time. You’ll also need to know what you can reasonably expect to gain from the inspection.

Here are some of the basics of what you should know to prepare for your first sewer line video inspection.

What Is the Job Scope and Location?

A video inspection is typically a one-person job. For this job, your plumber will use a machine that sends the camera down the drain on a line. The plumber will need to access the sewer line, typically through your sewer clean out. This clean out may be indoors or outdoors and may even be buried, depending on your home’s plumbing design.

Inadequate hot water in the house is annoying and signals an underlying problem with the plumbing or heating system. Below are six major causes of inadequate hot water.

1. Water Supply Problems

Your water heater won’t have adequate water to heat if something interrupts the supply to your house. Here are some of the issues that can interfere with your water supply:

Underground swimming pools are a delight — a basement pool is less so. Basement floods are a regular occurrence in some areas. Any basement can flood under the right conditions, though. Find out everything you need to know about this household hassle.

Common Causes of Basement Flooding

Since the basement is the bottom-most part of your house, and water flows downward naturally, the basement is the most likely area to flood. Therefore, a common cause of basement flooding is heavy rains. If the rain has poured down for a long time, the ground can’t soak it up fast enough. It flows down, perhaps right into your basement.

How well do you know your water heater? Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or you just want to learn more about this major plumbing appliance, take a look at what you need to know about your home’s water heater.

What Type of Water Heater Do You Have?

Not all water heaters are created equal. A wide variety of models, capacities, and styles are available. While some homes have solar water heaters (these use the sun, as the name implies) or tankless coil models (these use a space heating system), the primary types you’ll find in residential properties include:

If you rarely or never encounter difficulties with your shower, you may not recognize the underlying problems that many classic trouble signs can indicate. Here is a quick troubleshooting guide to help you understand what kinds of plumbing issues produce specific shower malfunctions.

Your Shower Water Won’t Get (or Stay) Hot

Receiving ice-cold water instead of the relaxing stream of hot water that you expected can provide quite a shock. Fortunately, it can also point you toward one obvious source of trouble: your water heater. Some element of this component has almost certainly failed, handily narrowing your search for solutions.

Why is your tap water cloudy? If the usually pristine stream from your kitchen sink suddenly seems gray and gritty, take a look at what you need to know about this potential plumbing problem.

What Does Cloudy Water Look Like?

Before you dive deep into the ins and outs of cloudy tap water, you need to separate this issue from other possible problems. Cloudy tap water:

Before you finalize the sale of your new home, you have to decide which types of professional inspections to pay for in case you want to negotiate with the seller to have them pay for repairs. A home inspector who performs a generalized inspection can help to catch big things (like major roof problems), but you may need other professional inspections as well.

For instance, if the home has a septic system and you haven’t owned a septic system before, you may want to pay for a professional septic inspection so you know what you’re getting yourself into. The same goes for the plumbing system. Like the septic, much of the plumbing system is out of sight, out of mind, and problems may hide until they get serious.

Discover some aspects of the plumbing system that a professional plumbing inspection can assess to give you more peace of mind about the condition of the home before you buy it.

Winter often means retreating to the cozy indoors to entertain friends and family over an extended holiday season. Your plumbing, though, is often the first to show signs of this increase in indoor activity. Combine cold weather conditions with the increased use of the plumbing during holiday celebrations, and problems are more likely to arise. You can avoid major issues by knowing what to watch out for.

Freezing Temperatures

Frozen pipes are usually the main concern with plumbing during the winter months. Both drains and water supply lines can freeze, with effects ranging from temporary inconvenience to major leaks and damages.

If you hire entry-level servers and cooks for your kitchen, you should go over how to properly dispose of cooking oil and grease. If employees just pour fat, oil, and grease (FOGs) down the drain, then they can wreak havoc on your restaurant’s plumbing system.

Why Can’t You Pour FOG Cooking Products Down the Drain?

Whether you want to avoid expensive repairs or simply wish to lower your monthly utility bills, your home’s plumbing system is a good place to start. Consider a few measures you can take that could save you money. Anything from installing a new water heater or showerhead to inspecting your home for leaks can be a wise move. Here are a few suggestions you might want to consider.

1. Replace Your Outdated Water Heater Before It Breaks Down

Is your water heater more than a decade old? If so, you probably need to consider an upgrade. Don’t wait until the water heater begins to leak. If you are unsure if your water heater needs to be replaced, consult a plumber.