Under-Slab Sewer Leak Detection in Longview, TX

How Sewer Camera & Hydrostatic Isolation Pinpoint Drain Leaks

Sanitary drainage pipes under Longview homes rely on gravity flow. Because sewer lines are unpressurized, traditional acoustic ground microphones cannot hear wastewater escaping into soil.

Our specialists use a two-phase diagnostic approach to verify sewer line integrity and pinpoint subterranean drain breaches with 100% accuracy:

• Inflatable Test Ball Hydrostatic Isolation: We insert pneumatic rubber test balls into cleanout ports and main perimeter stacks, filling the under-slab drain system with water to the slab level. If the water level drops, a sewer leak is certified.
• High-Definition Fiber-Optic Camera Inspection: We feed self-leveling color cameras equipped with high-intensity LED lights through drain lines, capturing real-time footage of offset joints, bellies, channel rot in cast iron, and cracks.
• Radio Sonde Above-Ground Location: Our sewer camera heads contain a built-in 512 Hz radio transmitter sonde. As the camera locates a pipe defect, an above-ground receiver locates the exact floor spot and pipe depth.

Why Older Longview Homes Experience Under-Slab Sewer Failure

In established Greggton, Downtown, and South Longview neighborhoods built prior to 1985, residential sanitary drain systems were constructed using heavy cast iron piping buried directly beneath concrete foundations.

Over 40 to 60 years of exposure to hydrogen sulfide sewer gas and acidic East Texas red clay soils, cast iron pipes undergo bottom channel corrosion (channeling). The bottom of the pipe thins, corrodes away completely, and allows raw sewage to saturate the expansive clay beneath the slab.

As wastewater pools under the foundation beam, the red clay expands and swells, lifting foundation sections (heave) or washing away supporting sub-soil (foundation settlement). Our specialized sewer camera inspections identify cast iron channel rot early before severe foundation displacement occurs.