Totally get where you’re coming from—roots in drains can be sneaky. I had a similar issue last year, and a camera scope actually found a big clog I never would’ve guessed was there. Sometimes it’s the stuff you can’t see that causes the most headaches. Hang in there, it’s fixable.
Honestly, you nailed it with the camera scope idea. It’s wild how much can be going on in those pipes that you’d never know about. I’ve seen roots, weird buildup, even a lost toy car once (don’t even ask how it got there). Sometimes it’s not even roots—could be a collapsed section or just years of gunk that finally decided to block things up.
One thing I’ve noticed is that water pooling in the basement doesn’t always mean the problem’s right under your feet. Sometimes the backup starts way farther down the line, and it just finds the path of least resistance back into the house. I used to assume if water showed up in the basement, the clog was right there, but nope... learned that lesson the hard way.
If you haven’t already, check if any of your floor drains are slow or gurgling. That’s usually a dead giveaway something’s up downstream. And if you get that weird sewer smell, it’s almost always a sign there’s a blockage or break somewhere.
It’s definitely fixable, but yeah, it’s a pain. At least once you find the spot, you know what you’re dealing with. The worst is when you’re just guessing and hoping it’s not something major. Hang in there—once you get it sorted, you’ll probably be way more paranoid about what goes down the drains, but that’s not a bad thing.
You’re not kidding about the paranoia after a basement flood. I swear, I side-eye every drain now like it’s plotting against me. That camera scope is a lifesaver, though—beats tearing up the floor just to play plumbing detective. Had a buddy who found a whole sock jammed in his main line. Still no idea how it got there, but it did explain the backup. And yeah, the gurgling drains are like the pipes trying to send you an SOS before things get ugly. If you catch that early, you save yourself a ton of hassle (and mopping).
That gurgling sound is the stuff of homeowner nightmares, right? Like, you’re just waiting for the bloop-bloop of doom before the mop brigade gets called into action. I’ve seen everything from kids' toys to a whole set of car keys lurking in main lines—no idea how some of that stuff makes its way in there, but it does. Camera scopes are a game changer, though, and honestly, if you haven’t tried one yet, it’s worth every penny (or at least saves a few headaches).
Curious—did you ever notice any slow drains or weird smells before the flood, or did it just hit all at once? Sometimes those little warning signs are easy to brush off until you’re ankle-deep in water. I always tell folks: if your floor drain starts burping or your laundry tub bubbles when you flush, that’s your early warning system right there. Ever tried running a snake yourself before calling in the pros, or is that just asking for trouble?
if your floor drain starts burping or your laundry tub bubbles when you flush, that’s your early warning system right there.
That’s the truth—those weird little noises are like the house trying to warn you in its own way. I used to brush off the gurgling until one day I found myself bailing out the laundry room with a snow shovel (not my finest hour). In my case, it started with slow drains and a faint “swampy” smell, but I figured it was just hair in the shower trap or something minor. Next thing I know, water’s coming up from places it definitely shouldn’t.
I’ve tried running a snake before—honestly, it’s not as scary as it sounds if you’re careful. Just don’t force it if you hit something solid. That’s how I found out my kid’s toy dinosaur had become a permanent resident down there... Camera scopes are next-level though. They take all the guesswork out of it and save so much time (and gross surprises).
You’re not alone with this stuff. Drains have a mind of their own sometimes, but catching those early signs makes all the difference.
