Totally agree on the camera inspection—saved us a ton of headaches too. We had a similar mystery blockage, turned out to be chunks of old tile grout someone washed down years ago. Crazy how something small can cause such a huge mess. And yeah, biodegradable wipes are better environmentally, but honestly, even those aren't great for plumbing. Better off sticking to good old-fashioned TP and composting wipes separately if you can swing it...
- Camera inspections are great, but honestly they're not always foolproof—had one miss a cracked pipe once.
- Also, composting wipes separately sounds good in theory, but realistically, most folks won't bother. Better to just avoid wipes altogether IMO.
"Camera inspections are great, but honestly they're not always foolproof—had one miss a cracked pipe once."
True, cameras aren't perfect, but sometimes it's more about who's operating it or the equipment itself. I've found that using a locator alongside the camera helps pinpoint trouble spots better—especially cracks or subtle breaks. Also, about wipes... yeah, composting separately seems like a hassle, but there are flushable wipes now that genuinely break down quickly. Might be worth considering if ditching wipes entirely isn't realistic for everyone.
"True, cameras aren't perfect, but sometimes it's more about who's operating it or the equipment itself."
Yeah, that's a good point. I've had inspections where a second look by someone else caught something the first person missed—even with decent gear. Also, about those flushable wipes... personally, I've seen them cause issues too, even the ones labeled "flushable." Maybe they're better now, but I'm still a bit skeptical. Better safe than sorry, you know?
"Yeah, that's a good point. I've had inspections where a second look by someone else caught something the first person missed—even with decent gear."
Totally agree with this. Had a similar issue last year—first plumber ran a camera and said everything looked fine, but the drain kept backing up. Got a second opinion, and turns out there was a sneaky root intrusion further down the line that the first guy completely overlooked. Sometimes it's just about patience and persistence... hang in there, you'll get it sorted eventually.
