Sewer Camera Inspection in Hyattsville, MD

Signs to watch for

• The basement floor drain backs up when the washer drains or a toilet flushes
• Toilets on the first floor gurgle while upstairs fixtures drain
• Drains through the whole house slow down together
• Clogs keep returning after the line is snaked
• Sewer odor in the basement or near the front walk

A single slow sink is a local clog. Trouble that shows up across the house points to the main building sewer, and a camera is the only way to see inside it without digging.

Hyattsville conditions

The median home in Hyattsville was built around 1963, and about half are older than that. The city's National Register historic district holds late-1880s Victorians and interwar Sears and Arts and Crafts bungalows, and laterals under homes like these have often been in the ground for close to a century. Older drain lines can scale and crack from the inside or open at the joints, and roots from mature street and yard trees follow the moisture right in. A camera shows whether you're looking at a cleanable buildup, a single bad joint or a run that is failing along its length.

WSSC Water provides both water and sewer service in Hyattsville. If the camera finds your line open to the street and the backup continues, or sewage is overflowing from the street, call WSSC's Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002.

What affects cost

• Access: many older Hyattsville homes have a basement cleanout rather than one in the yard
• Clearing a full line before the camera can see
• Run length from the foundation to the street
• Locating and marking each defect on the surface
• A saved recording for quotes, insurance or a sale

What happens when you call

You're connected with an independent local plumber who works in Hyattsville. Share roughly when the house was built, where the cleanout is and which drains are acting up. The City of Hyattsville has no permits office of its own; in Prince George's County, plumbing permits and inspections come from WSSC Water, and building permits from the county. A sewer service line repair has to be done by a plumber holding a WSSC license, who normally handles that permit.