Sewer Camera Inspection in Riverdale, MD

Riverdale's homes, many of them from the streetcar era along US 1, often have sewer lines that are well past middle age. A camera inspection films the line from your house to the WSSC Water main and shows roots, cracks, offsets, sags or buildup, along with where each one is. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Riverdale.

Signs the sewer line needs filming

Basement floor drain backs up when a toilet flushes or the washer drains
Toilets gurgle and bubble while other fixtures empty
The whole house drains slowly
A cleared clog came right back
A sewage smell in the basement or near the cleanout

When one fixture misbehaves, the problem is usually in that drain. When trouble spreads across the house, the main building sewer is the place to look.

Riverdale conditions

Riverdale is a postal name. ZIP 20737 covers the incorporated Town of Riverdale Park, originally incorporated as the Town of Riverdale in 1920, plus adjacent unincorporated areas such as Riverdale Heights. Riverdale Park is an older streetcar-suburb town just south of College Park, and its median home was built around 1957. Lines of that age commonly have roots in the joints, offsets where soil has shifted and rough interiors that catch grease and paper. A camera shows which of these you're dealing with. Some older lines have also had sections swapped for plastic over the years, and those joints between old and new pipe are a common weak point, so the footage, not the age of the house alone, should guide the repair.

WSSC Water provides water and sewer service in the area, and its Emergency Service Center handles sewer emergencies at 301-206-4002. If footage shows your line is clear all the way out and you still have backups, or sewage is coming up in the street, that's the call to make.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Riverdale.

(202) 915-7612

What affects cost

Whether there's a cleanout, or the camera enters through a toilet or vent
Clearing standing water so the lens can see
The length of the line from the house to the main
Locating defects from the surface and recording the video

What happens when you call

You're connected with an independent local plumber who works in the Riverdale area. Share roughly when the house was built, whether it's in Riverdale Park or an unincorporated part of Riverdale, and what has been happening with the drains. If the camera finds something, most plumbing work including sewer service line repairs must be done by a plumber holding a WSSC Water license under a WSSC permit. Building permits are a Prince George's County matter. The plumber doing the repair normally handles the plumbing permit.

Sewer Camera Inspection questions in Riverdale

Why does my main drain clog again soon after it's cleared?

Something in the pipe keeps snagging debris, such as roots, a sag or a rough section of older pipe. In a Riverdale Park home from around the late 1950s, a camera shows which.

Can the plumber find the exact spot of a problem from the yard?

Usually. A transmitter in the camera head lets the plumber find it from above and mark the spot and depth of a defect, which keeps any repair dig small.

Does a camera inspection need a permit?

Not for filming. Repairs need a WSSC Water plumbing permit, and the plumber doing the work normally files it.

Will the plumber need to clear a clog before filming the pipe?

If the pipe is full of water, yes. The plumber clears a path first so the camera can see the pipe wall.