What does a sewer camera inspection actually show?

How does a sewer camera inspection work?

The camera is a small waterproof lens and light on the end of a stiff push cable, connected to a monitor and a recorder. We get into the line through a cleanout, a pulled trap, or a removed toilet, then push the camera from the house toward the street. The cable is marked in feet, so every frame is tied to a distance from the entry point.

The camera head also carries a transmitter. A handheld locator above ground picks up its signal, which tells us how deep the pipe is at that spot and where it sits under the floor, yard, sidewalk, or street. When we find a defect, we mark it on the surface with paint.

The whole thing is recorded. You can watch on the monitor while it happens, and you get the footage afterward.

What does the camera actually show?

More than most people expect. On a typical Philadelphia lateral we can see:

• Pipe material and where it changes: cast iron inside the house, clay or terra-cotta outside, PVC where someone repaired a section.
• Roots. Fine hair roots at a joint, or a mat that fills half the pipe.
• Offsets. Joints where one section has shifted so the pipe no longer lines up, leaving a ledge that catches paper.
• Bellies. Low spots where the camera goes under standing water. The water line tells us how deep the sag is.
• Cracks, breaks, and holes, and soil or gravel that has fallen in through them.
• Grease, scale, and sludge coating the walls, which tells us whether cleaning alone will help.
• The house trap and curb trap, and whether they are intact, cracked, or missing.
• The connection at the city main, if the line is clear enough to reach it.
• Each finding gets a footage mark and a depth, and that list becomes the basis for any options we write up.

What can the camera not tell you?

A camera sees the inside surface of the pipe. It cannot see the soil around it, so it cannot always tell whether a small crack is leaking into a void or is stable. It cannot always get through a full blockage or a collapse; when it stops, we note the footage and the locator marks the spot, and that itself is the diagnosis. Standing water in a belly hides the pipe wall beneath it. Heavy grease can coat the lens.

Sometimes the answer is to clean the line first and then camera it. Hydro jetting clears roots and sludge so the camera can see the actual pipe condition instead of the mess in front of it. When a company sells a replacement based on footage taken through a blocked pipe, ask for a post-cleaning inspection before you agree. A second opinion on qualifying larger projects is free with us.

When should you get a camera inspection?

We run one before every sewer repair we do, because we will not dig or line a pipe we have not seen. Beyond that, a few situations call for one:

• Repeat clogs. If a line has been snaked more than once in a year, something is catching debris.
• Before you buy an older home. Rowhomes, twins, and early-1900s Main Line houses often have original clay laterals. Some Bucks County townships require a lateral inspection at sale; confirm with yours.
• After a PWD Notice of Defect, to see the full picture, not just the spot the city flagged.
• After a sewer backup, once the water is cleared.
• Before a basement finish or an addition that will sit over the line.
• After a repair, to verify the work. Ask any contractor for the post-repair footage.

What happens after the inspection?

You watch the footage with us. We point out what is normal for the age of the pipe and what is a real defect. Then we lay out options. A pipe with roots and sludge but sound walls might just need hydro jetting and a follow-up check. A single offset near the curb might be a spot repair. Clay with problems at every joint is a candidate for lining or replacement, and a belly or collapse points to excavation.

The estimate for any repair is driven by the depth and length shown by the locator, what is on the surface above it, and the permits your municipality requires. We put the options in writing and you choose. No high-pressure sales.

To get started, request a sewer camera inspection and tell us what prompted it. If you already have footage from another company, send it along. We are glad to read it with you.