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Homeowners book one for different reasons. Some have a clog that keeps coming back, some are buying an older house with big trees out front, and some want to know the state of the line before finishing a basement or paving a driveway over it. In each case the value lies in the recording and the measurements, which let you and any contractor make decisions from the same evidence.
An inspection is a diagnosis, not a fix. It can confirm that a line is sound, point to a single defect or show that the pipe needs replacing, but the repair is a separate decision, and often a separate contractor. This page covers what the footage shows, when an inspection is worth booking, what a good report includes and how the city's side of the line is checked.
When to get a sewer camera inspection
The best time is before a decision that would be costly to undo, or right after a symptom that cleaning alone didn't explain.
- Before buying an older home, especially one with mature trees near the front of the lot, a history of backups or a basement finished over the main drain.
- After the main line has been cleared more than once, to learn whether roots, a sag or a broken section keeps causing the blockage.
- Before renovating: finishing a basement, adding a bathroom, building an addition or laying a driveway, patio or interlock over the pipe's route.
- When large trees grow near the sewer route, or before planting new ones there.
- After a sewer backup, to see whether the cause is in your pipe or beyond it.
- After a repair or replacement, to confirm the new work and keep a baseline recording for later.
How a sewer camera inspection is done, from cleanout to street
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.
Locating the sewer line: sondes, depth readings and marked routes
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 a sewer video inspection shows: defects to look for in the footage
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.
- Roots coming in at joints or cracks, from fine strands to dense masses that fill the pipe.
- Cracks, fractures and broken sections, including pieces missing from the pipe wall.
- Offset or separated joints, where one section has shifted against the next and its edge catches debris.
- Sags and bellies, seen as standing water that the camera head dips into along a stretch of pipe.
- Deformed pipe that has lost its round shape, or a section that has caved in.
- Grease, scale and debris narrowing the pipe, and groundwater seeping in at joints.
- Changes in material and earlier repairs, which show where the line has been worked on before.
What a sewer camera inspection report and recording should include
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.
- The full video file, with the distance counter visible on screen throughout.
- The address, date, access point and direction of travel, so anyone watching knows where the footage starts.
- A list of observations, each with its distance from the access point and, where it was located from above, its approximate depth.
- The pipe material and size as observed, and any changes along the line.
- Still images of each significant defect.
- Where the camera stopped and why, and whether it reached the connection to the city sewer.
- A plain-language summary that keeps what was seen separate from what is recommended.
Municipal inspection of the city side of the sewer lateral
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.
After the sewer camera inspection: diagnosis first, repair decisions second
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.
Sewer Camera Inspection: frequently asked questions
Can a sewer camera see everything wrong with my pipe?
No. It sees the inside surface of the pipe, not the soil around it or the outer wall, and standing water or heavy debris can hide defects. A fully blocked line has to be opened before the camera can pass. A good report notes any stretch the camera couldn't see clearly.
Should I get the sewer line inspected before finishing my basement?
It's a good time to. The main drain and cleanout are still easy to reach, and any repair under the floor is simpler before flooring and walls go in. It's also the moment to decide on a backwater valve and to make sure the cleanout stays accessible.
Can a sewer camera damage old pipes?
A push camera is built to travel through drain pipe, but in fragile or partly collapsed lines the operator should stop rather than force the head through a break. If the line has to be cleared first, ask which method will be used, since some are rougher on old pipe than others.
Can I watch the sewer inspection while it happens?
Usually, yes. Most operators are glad to have you watch the monitor and will explain what you're seeing. Ask for the recording as well, since a live walk-through is hard to remember accurately a week later.
Who does sewer camera inspections?
Plumbers and drain contractors commonly do them. Ask what you'll receive, whether they locate defects from the surface, and whether they also sell repairs. When buying a home, some buyers prefer a firm with no stake in the repair.
Sources
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides