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Serving West Des Moines
Grit in a floor drain or backups after rain? A drain camera inspection in West Des Moines finds where water gets in. Same day service available.
By Jarod Smith, Owner, Clog Busters. 26 years in plumbing and drain cleaning. Updated October 2026.
When grit shows up in a floor drain or a sewer line keeps backing up, a drain camera inspection in West Des Moines shows the cause on screen. Clog Busters Drain Cleaning & Repair sends a camera through the pipe, finds where water, silt or roots are getting in, and walks you through the footage. Schedule your inspection online.
Groundwater leaks into a damaged sewer line long before most homeowners see a backup. Watch for these clues:
Any one of these is worth a look inside the pipe.
We at Clog Busters build each visit around what you are seeing at home. Here is what an inspection can cover.
Main sewer line video. We send the camera from a cleanout or drain opening toward the city main. It records the condition of each joint and section along the run.
Infiltration and sediment checks. Water trickling into a line with no fixtures running is a sign of a leak in the pipe wall. The camera shows where it enters and how much silt has settled nearby.
Post jetting verification. After we hydro jet a West Des Moines sewer line, a second camera pass confirms the sediment is gone. You see the clean pipe for yourself.
Repair location. We camera the line before quoting a repair. That pinpoints the damaged section so any drain repair in West Des Moines targets the right spot.
Homes of every age. From older homes around Valley Junction to newer construction near Jordan Creek, we inspect lines of every material. The camera shows what is there instead of guessing from the build year.
Emergency backups. A backup cannot always wait until morning. Our 24/7 emergency service clears the line, then inspects it once the water drains down.
West Des Moines sits along the Raccoon River, and parts of the city lie on low ground near the river and its creeks. That setting shapes how sewer lines here fail.
The U.S. Geological Survey monitors the Raccoon River at Van Meter, upstream of West Des Moines. At that gage the river drains 3,441 square miles, and daily records reach back to 1915.
When that much land sends water downstream, the river rises, and groundwater in nearby soil can rise with it. A sewer lateral that normally sits in damp ground may end up surrounded by water.
Any cracked joint or broken section then acts like an intake. Water seeps in and carries fine sand and silt with it. This is called infiltration.
Silt settles wherever flow slows, such as low spots and the lip of a joint. Over time it narrows the pipe until a normal load from a washer or shower backs up.
On a drain camera inspection, we look for clear water trickling in when nothing upstream is running, sediment piled on the pipe floor, and silty or stained joints. We show you each spot on the video. Then we explain whether jetting will clear the sediment and whether a joint needs repair to keep it from coming back.
Ingram Enterprises booked drain work through our Des Moines branch, with pets in the home during the visit. The technician explained the plan up front and ran the camera through the line as part of the job.
“Ben S was amazing! Very friendly, great with our animals, and walked us through everything he’d be doing. Showed us the videos at the end of what he’d done. I’ve used Clog Busters for years and I won’t be using anyone else!!”
Explaining the plan first and showing the footage last is how every inspection should go. You know what will happen before it starts and what changed after it ends.
Lyndsay Gordon booked a visit with our Des Moines branch, and two of our technicians handled it together. They inspected the pipes on camera and talked through what they saw.
“Drew and Ben were very professional and respectful of the house and very efficient in the video of our pipes and explained everything they were doing and what recommendations for us next.”
Clear next steps are the real product of an inspection. The video shows the problem, and our recommendation gives you a plan you can act on.
Our owner, Jarod Smith, holds Iowa Master Plumber license #4913, issued by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.
Our Des Moines branch serves West Des Moines neighborhoods on both sides of the Raccoon River. Book service online and mention any grit, odor or slow drains you have noticed.
If the camera finds a broken or failing line, our sewer services in West Des Moines cover the next step. For the full list of what we handle here, visit our West Des Moines plumbing and drain services page.
It can. When the river runs high, groundwater in nearby soil can rise too. If your sewer line has cracked joints, that water can leak in and bring silt with it.
Sand in a floor drain often means soil is entering the sewer line through a crack or open joint. A drain camera inspection shows where it is getting in. Cleaning alone removes the sand but not the entry point.
If drains slowed down or backed up during the wet weather, yes. Water in the soil can push sediment into a damaged line. A camera check shows whether silt is building up before it causes a backup.
Yes. Clog Busters covers West Des Moines from our Des Moines branch, with fully stocked trucks and same day service when the schedule allows. Our 24/7 emergency service handles backups after hours.
Jetting clears the sediment that is there now. If cracked joints keep letting groundwater in, silt can return. The camera shows whether drain repair in West Des Moines is needed to stop it at the source.
Schedule your inspection online and tell us what you have noticed, such as grit in the drain or backups after rain. We will confirm a time that works for you.
