Sewer Camera Inspection near you

The best time is before a decision that would be costly to undo, or right after a symptom that cleaning alone didn't explain.

The operator feeds a camera head on a semi-rigid push cable into the main drain, usually through a cleanout near the foundation wall. Where there's no cleanout, access may come through a floor drain, a roof vent or a toilet lifted off its flange, and the entry point affects how far and how clearly the camera can see. A counter on the reel logs the distance travelled, and the operator pauses at each feature to record it.

A line that is blocked solid usually has to be cleared first, because the camera can't pass a full blockage and shows little under standing water. Running water from a fixture during the inspection helps reveal where the line pools. Ask beforehand whether the camera is expected to reach the connection at the city main; if it stops short, the report should say where and why.

Most push cameras carry a small transmitter, called a sonde, just behind the lens. From the surface, the operator sweeps a handheld receiver over the ground to pick up its signal, marks the camera's position with paint or flags and reads an estimate of its depth. Doing this at each defect and at bends turns a video into a map: you learn where the pipe actually runs, which isn't always where anyone assumed, and how deep a crew would have to dig.

Tracing your sewer isn't the same as a utility locate. The camera marks your own pipe; before anyone digs, gas, electrical, water and communication lines still have to be marked through a free locate service such as Ontario One Call, or Info-Excavation in Quebec. Depth readings can be less precise near metal, other utilities or very deep pipe, so treat the marks as a guide that the excavation crew confirms.

What the camera finds generally falls into two groups: structural defects in the pipe itself, and operational problems that restrict flow. The difference matters, since operational problems can often be cleaned out, while structural ones call for repair or replacement.

A few minutes of live video on a monitor isn't enough to act on. Before booking, ask what you'll receive, and make sure the recording and report are yours to keep and share with other contractors.

When a private inspection finds trouble near the street, the next question is whose pipe it is. In Toronto, the City owns the lateral from the main to the property line and the owner owns the rest; when a blocked drain is reported, Toronto Water first confirms the nearby sewers are draining, then uses its own closed-circuit TV to inspect the drain connected to the home. Other municipalities divide the line and handle reports in their own way, so check before assuming either side.

To make that conversation useful, compare the defect's distance on the counter with the distance from the cleanout to the property line, which a survey or lot plan can help you estimate. Report the problem through your municipality's service line, mention that you have a recording, and hold off on hiring anyone for work that may fall on the public section.

A camera inspection tells you what is there today; it doesn't fix anything, and it can't promise how long a sound-looking pipe will stay that way. Keep the diagnosis and the repair as separate decisions. Some homeowners hire an inspector who doesn't sell repairs, or get a second opinion on the footage before approving major work.

The footage usually points to one of a few paths: no action beyond keeping the recording as a baseline; cleaning to remove roots, grease or debris, ideally followed by another camera pass; a spot repair of one defect; or relining or replacement when defects run along the line. The sewer repair and sewer line replacement pages explain those options.