Pittsburgh Plumber Performs “Exorcism” With Gen-Eye® X-Pod Plus

An upscale, single-story house in Pittsburgh’s North Hills suffered a severe sewer fly infestation, initially unresolved by pulling and reinstalling toilets or sealing ducts and lines. The issue stemmed from a sewage leak beneath the slab-on-grade structure’s entrance area, allowing sewer flies to breed and migrate inside through a damaged pipe.

Challenges

• Precisely locating the infestation source with minimal collateral damage to avoid steep repair, replacement, and restoration costs.
• Demolition concerns due to expensive, hard-to-replace slate flooring.

Solution

Urban Plumbing Inc., known for excellence in plumbing and bathroom remodeling since 1980, utilized General Pipe Cleaners’ Gen-Eye X-POD Plus® sewer camera system and Hot Spot® digital pipe locator to pinpoint and resolve the issue.

Tools & Equipment

• Gen-Eye X-POD Plus® Sewer Camera System:
  • All-in-one compact package combining camera, reel, and monitor.
  • Gen-Pack™ battery adapter, Wi-Fi transmitter, and on-screen distance counter.
  • Self-leveling color camera with 200 ft. of Kevlar® braid Gel-Rod® for inspecting 3” to 10” drain lines.
  • 7” LCD color monitor with sunscreen, one-touch recording, 4X digital zoom, voice-over recording, and date/time stamp.
• Hot Spot® Digital Pipe Locator:
  • Durable, accurate, and user-friendly for tracing sewer lines, drains, septic tanks, and buried utilities.
  • Intuitive display prompts and online instruction video for rapid results.

Process & Results

• Identified a small break at the juncture of two terracotta pipes beneath the slab using the inspection tools.
• Confirmed the infestation entry point via a smoke test, forcing smoke through the sewer line to the suspect closet floor.
• Restricted demolition to a 4.0’x 2.5’ closet, avoiding damage to expensive slate flooring.
• Repaired the terracotta joint with hydraulic cement and encased the fitting in concrete, restoring the closet with spare ceramic tile.
• Saved the homeowner an estimated $25,000-$30,000 in potential additional repairs.

For more information, contact General Pipe Cleaners at 800-245-6200 or info@drainbrain.com.