Our Sewer & Drain Inspection & Locating Process

At Rapid Flush, from the moment your service begins, we prioritize doing the best job possible. Oftentimes, the state, condition, and location of residential or commercial sewer and drain pipes are unknown, which can create extra costs if a problem is not properly located and identified. To avoid this and properly solve your issue, we provide our customers with drain video inspection and locating services, including utility mapping and locating.
These methods allow our team of experts to uncover what is hidden beneath the surface without excavation, accurately diagnose a problem, determine the best possible solution to solve or mitigate it, and create physical and digital references which can be invaluable for future planning and coordination.

Video Inspection & Locating

Before we do any work, our team uses specialty pipe inspection video cameras to accurately determine the issues in your commercial or residential sewer and drainage system. Video sewer line inspection is the process of inserting a remotely controlled camera into your sewer or drain lines to analyze the pipe by noting the type of material, its condition, and any obstructions. A radio transmitter in the head of the camera is used to locate problem areas, such as broken, misaligned, or improperly installed pipes.
Rapid Flush is also capable of creating video recordings of drainage systems for your records and archival purposes, as well as proving culpability in cases where there may be damage caused to pipes during various construction activities.

Benefits of Video Inspection & Locating

Video pipe inspections can surface important information that is extremely valuable. For example, identifying a pipe’s material type is important because some older pipes, like the Orangeburg, break down and deteriorate over time to cause more back-ups and eventual collapse. Knowing that your line is made of this type of material helps our experts know that we need to use specific equipment to clear clogs and prolong the life of this fragile pipe.
Learning information such as the diameter and length of the sewer line through video inspection is also important, as some drain systems might have access points that are of one size, but enter into larger diameter lines further downstream. Knowing how long a line is before it enters the sewer or septic tank is also critical for selecting the right type of equipment to clean the entirety of the line.

Performing a video inspection not only identifies a pipe’s underlying material, condition, and cause of issues, but knowing where to dig in the ground and whether or not it’s necessary can save you thousands of dollars in excavation fees. A thorough video inspection of your system ensures an accurate diagnosis of your drain problems, a proper cleaning, saves you the time and money of needlessly excavating when you don’t have to, and helps our team to recommend the best and most appropriate sewer or drain cleaning solution and preventative maintenance program.

Video Line Inspection Photos
First image: Orangeburg warping identified through video pipe inspection.
First image: Orangeburg warping identified through video pipe inspection.
Second image: Excavated cross section of Orangeburg line that was so warped as to obstruct flow and necessitate a repair
Second image: Excavated cross section of Orangeburg line that was so warped as to obstruct flow and necessitate a repair.
First image: root infestation identified through video pipe inspection almost completely obstructed.
First image: root infestation identified through video pipe inspection almost completely obstructed.
Second image: after cleaning with a specialty hydro-jet nozzle.
Second image: after cleaning with a specialty hydro-jet nozzle.

Utility Locating & Mapping

Experiencing a drain or sewer issue, but not sure where your sewer, drain or septic systems are located? Need to make a repair to a drain line or construct a building, but you’re not sure what subsurface utilities are located there? Rapid Flush offers a utility locating and mapping service to pinpoint the exact location of your drains, septic tanks, drywells, drain fields, and other private utilities such as cable, electrical, gas, phone, and more, making them known from the ground’s surface.
Equipped with unique technology specially designed for Michigan’s clay-based soils, our team uses electromagnetic locators, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and global positioning system (GPS) to create utility maps with the precise geo-location of your system.

Benefits of Utility Locating & Mapping

Especially valuable for commercial properties like mobile home parks, communities, or locations with a large network of private utilities, utility locating and mapping services can help identify where systems are located and create maps in Google Earth and database files for future use.
Our utility locating and mapping services enable proper construction planning, help with repairing or maintaining underground systems, and assist excavation teams in avoiding damaging your utilities during construction. This prevents you from service interruption and potentially paying thousands of dollars in repair and replacement.

Utility Locating & Mapping Photos

Ground penetrating radar can locate subsurface targets like septic tanks, drywells and drainfields that may be otherwise difficult to locate.
Ground penetrating radar can locate subsurface targets like septic tanks, drywells and drainfields that may be otherwise difficult to locate.
GPR enabled us to locate an enormous drainfield in which this mobile home park had no records of which enabled us to locate, excavate and create access points for proper maintenance, extending the life of this system.
GPR enabled us to locate an enormous drainfield in which this mobile home park had no records of which enabled us to locate, excavate and create access points for proper maintenance, extending the life of this system.
Locating subsurface location of transmitter in camera head
Locating subsurface location of transmitter in camera head.

Schedule an Appointment

Get to the bottom of your sewer, drain, septic or drain field issue. Schedule an appointment to receive a free on-site estimate and quote for how our video inspection and utility mapping and locating technology can help you identify your system’s problem.