Now showing . Phone number, services and service areas are updated to your local crew. Phone, services & service area updated
Find your local crew
Pick a branch and we’ll show the right phone number, services and service area across the whole site. You can change it anytime from the top bar.
Phone, services and service area update to match.
Serving Ankeny
Sewer backing up in a newer home? A drain camera inspection in Ankeny shows the cause on video, and we explain your options before work starts.
By Jarod Smith, Owner, Clog Busters. 26 years in plumbing and drain cleaning. Updated October 2026.
A drain camera inspection in Ankeny tells you what is inside your sewer line before anyone digs, jets or quotes a repair. At Clog Busters Drain Cleaning & Repair, we feed a waterproof camera through the pipe, watch the live video with you and explain what it shows. Schedule your inspection online and we will set a time that works for you.
We see a lot of Ankeny calls that start the same way: a fairly new house, a finished basement and a floor drain that backs up for no clear reason. The camera is how we find out why.
Every inspection is aimed at one goal: an accurate diagnosis you can see for yourself. Here is the work we do with the camera.
Main sewer line inspections. We run the camera from a cleanout toward the city main. This shows breaks, offsets, roots, grease and low spots along the private lateral.
Basement floor drain backups. A floor drain that gurgles or fills is often a symptom of a problem farther down the line. The camera tells us whether it is a simple clog or a pipe defect.
Sag and belly checks on newer laterals. A belly is a low section of pipe where water and waste sit instead of flowing. On video it shows as standing water that does not drain, and we note where it starts and ends.
Inspection after drain cleaning. After we clear a line with a cable or a hydro jetter, we run the camera again. That second pass confirms the pipe is open and shows whether a defect caused the clog.
Recurring clog diagnosis. If the same drain keeps backing up, cleaning alone is a guess. The video shows the cause so the fix matches the problem.
Footage you can see. You watch the video with us on site. If you want a copy for insurance questions, builder conversations or repair planning, ask when you book.
We at Clog Busters camera the line before we quote a repair. You see the problem first, then we talk about options.
Ankeny’s rapid growth shows up underground. The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Ankeny lists 67,887 residents in the 2020 Census and an estimated 77,833 by July 1, 2025. That is a 14.3 percent jump in about five years.
Every new house in places like Prairie Trail needs a sewer lateral. Crews dig a trench, lay PVC pipe at a set slope and backfill the trench with soil.
Here is the problem. Loose backfill keeps settling for months or years after the yard is finished. If the soil under the pipe was not compacted well, part of the pipe sinks. PVC is flexible, so it bends into a shallow dip instead of cracking.
That dip is a belly. Water pools in it, solids drop out and the line slowly narrows. The first sign is often a backup into a brand new basement.
You cannot see a belly from the yard, and a cable can push right through it. A camera is the only reliable way to find one. On video we watch the water line rise and fall as the camera moves. We note the distance from the cleanout so a repair crew digs in the right spot.
Once we know the length and depth of the sag, we explain the options. Some bellies only need regular cleaning. Others need the low section dug up and relaid at the correct slope.
Andre Dugas had a drain that was running slow and needed a sewer scope to learn why. Brandon handled the visit, ran the camera through the line and then went to work on the blockage it found. The review does not name a city.
“Brandon was punctual, professional, and very knowledgeable. We needed a sewer scope due to a slow drain, and he was not only thorough but also very kind throughout the process. He worked hard to clear the clog and made sure everything was taken care of. I highly recommend him.”
A slow drain is often the first quiet sign of a belly or a partial blockage. Scoping first means the cleaning goes after the real cause.
Not every camera call is a new house. Rebecca Pencook lives in an older home where a basement floor drain kept backing up. Brian and Brett used the camera to track down the cause and then talked through what she could take on.
“Brian and Brett were amazing! My house is pretty old and had an issue with a basement floor drain backing up and used their camera service to find the issue. While I wasn’t able to afford a whole line cleaning, they were able to work with me to find something I could afford in my budget to make sure sewage would not come back up into my basement. They did a fantastic job and I will be using them again! Thanks guys!”
This is why we explain options before we start. The camera shows the problem, and you decide how to handle it.
Our owner, Jarod Smith, holds Iowa Master Plumber license #4913, issued by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.
Whether your home is a few years old near the DMACC Ankeny campus or decades older, we can put a camera in your line and show you what is there. Book service online and pick a time.
If the video points to a clog, see our drain cleaning service in Ankeny. If it points to a broken or sagging pipe, our sewer services in Ankeny cover the next step. For a wider look at the rest of the home, visit our Ankeny service area page.
Newer laterals sit in trench backfill that can keep settling after construction. If the soil under the pipe sinks, the PVC can sag into a belly that traps water and waste. A camera inspection shows whether that is happening in your line.
Yes. A cable can pass through a sag and clear it for a while, but the low spot stays. On video we see standing water that does not drain, and we measure how far it is from the cleanout.
You watch the live video with the technician on site. If you would like a copy for insurance or for a conversation with a builder about a new construction line, ask when you book.
It is a smart step, even on a house built in the last few years. A general home inspection usually does not look inside the sewer lateral, and that private line is typically the owner’s responsibility. You can also pair it with our plumbing inspections in Ankeny.
We show you the spot on video, explain what caused it and walk through your options. Some sags can be managed with scheduled cleaning, while others need the section dug up and relaid. You choose the path before any repair begins.
Schedule your inspection online and choose a time. If sewage is coming up into your basement right now, request emergency service on the same form.
