By the time a commercial sewer backs up into a tenant space, you're already dealing with an insurance claim, an angry tenant, and a repair bill. CCTV inspection is a cheap way to see problems coming. Here are the five clearest signals it's time.
1. Repeat backups in the same location
One backup is a blockage. Three backups in the same drain over a year is a structural problem - a belly, a partial collapse, or root intrusion. A CCTV run identifies the exact defect and location so you're not paying to snake it every six months.
2. Slow drains across multiple fixtures
One slow sink is a fixture problem. Slow drains in multiple bathrooms or across floors point to a main line issue. CCTV finds where and why.
3. Sewer smell inside the building
That smell is a broken trap, a broken vent, or a leaking waste line. All three are visible from a properly run camera survey.
4. You're buying or refinancing the property
Nobody wants to inherit a sewer problem. Commercial CCTV inspection is a standard due-diligence item that pays for itself the first time it catches something.
5. The building is more than 40 years old
Cast iron and clay lines fail. Not always, but often. A one-time baseline CCTV survey tells you exactly how much life is left and lets you budget for replacement instead of getting surprised.