Plumbing Camera Adventures in Storm Drain Inspection

Investigating the Backyard Drain with a Plumbing Camera

I had a feeling it would be an interesting day. After all, I was about to send a plumbing camera down a mysterious drain pipe that connects to multiple gutters and runs deep into the woods.

This drain gets a ton of water and debris whenever it rains heavily. Sometimes, the water even pushes upward briefly before flowing down again. Naturally, I began to wonder—could there be a critter living inside? Or was it just poor drainage design? To find out, I grabbed my trusty Sanyipace sewer camera.

Mapping Out the Drain System Before Inspection

Before diving into the inspection, I did a quick walkthrough:

• The barn gutter connects directly to the same drainage system.

• There's another drain inside the garage.

• The pipe runs through the woods, snaking around trees (we recently had to remove one).

• The indoor sections are PVC, but the outdoor parts are corrugated.

Clearly, this setup is complicated. So, a drain inspection camera is essential for uncovering what’s hidden.

Let’s Begin: Setting Up the Sewer Camera Inspection

The plumbing inspection camera we used has some solid features:

• Flexible camera head with a protective cover

• LED lights for visibility

• Ability to record, save, and review footage

• Distance tracking—super useful when probing long pipes

As a result, we were ready to dive in.

What We Found Inside the Drain

To our surprise, the camera showed corrugated pipe instead of the expected PVC. And soon, things got more interesting.

We encountered:

• Unexpected dips and junctions

• Sediment and roof aggregate blocking flow

• Standing water pooling in places

• Tree roots and organic matter causing blockages

In short, there was no critter—just a bunch of gunk and roots! Still, the drain camera helped us see it all clearly.

Key Observations From the Plumbing Camera Footage

Here's a quick rundown of what we observed using the sewer inspection camera:

• 📏 Distance tracked: 95 feet

• 🏡 Obstructions: Roots, debris, and buildup

• 🐟 Life found: Worms nesting inside the tile

• 🌊 Water visibility: Standing water confirmed by camera lights

• ⚠️ Issue confirmed: Severe blockage at end of pipe

The Benefits of Using a Drain Camera

Ultimately, the camera solved a lingering mystery without needing to dig up the yard. Here are a few benefits I’ve noticed from using this kind of tool:

• ✅ Identifies blockages quickly

• ✅ Saves money on unnecessary excavation

• ✅ Improves accuracy with built-in distance tracker and locator

• ✅ Captures footage for future reference or sharing with a plumber

• ✅ Peace of mind—no surprises underground

Final Thoughts: Worth the Investment

In conclusion, I didn’t find a raccoon or skeleton down there. But the sewage camera exposed real problems that needed fixing—something I wouldn’t have known without it.

But it's helpful to have an inspection camera anyway. Especially when bees appear in the area being observed. You can check if it's safe to look around with this drain camera. It is nice to have a pipeline camera with a transmitter probe and a large screen. In addition to real-time distance detection, equipped with a locator, you can find the exact location, which I think is a huge advantage. On this drain probe, I really thought I'd be able to get a shot of the critter with the camera and flush the bones out.

Drain detection cameras are really worth the investment, and I couldn't do these inspections without them. Let me know if you have one of these in your home. Give me a shout out in the comments, and give me a shout out in this video. Thanks for your time.

Product link: https://bit.ly/3YhSYcO

Our official website: https://sanyipace.com/

Check the video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDx2RimM3mM