Sewer Camera Inspection, So You Know Before You Spend

Usually yes, in three situations: a drain that keeps clogging after it has been cleared, a home purchase where the sewer line has never been looked at, and any time a line has just been cleared or repaired and you want to confirm it. In each case the inspection costs far less than the problem it either rules out or catches early. When a single sink is slow and everything else drains fine, the answer is often a simple drain cleaning first, and we will say so.

The usual list: tree roots at the joints, cracked or broken sections, joints that no longer line up, low spots where the pipe has sunk and holds water, heavy scale inside old cast iron, and buildup that a cleaning did not fully clear. It also shows the pipe material and its general condition, which matters for older cast iron, clay, and Orangeburg lines. What a camera cannot do is see through the pipe wall, so anything outside the pipe is judged from what the inside shows.

A standard residential sewer camera inspection usually runs about $250 to $500, with long runs or lines without a usable cleanout costing more. The price depends on the scope of the inspection, how easy the access is, and what we find on site, such as a line with no usable cleanout or a run that takes extra time to reach. We confirm the price before the camera goes in, so there is nothing new on the invoice afterward. Give us the address, the reason for the inspection, and whether there is a cleanout you know of, and we can give you a free estimate.

Sewer line repair and new septic systems are handled by separate contractors, not by 1620 Sanitation. Our work is inspecting, clearing, and pumping: sewer camera inspection, drain cleaning, septic pumping, septic locating, Title 5 inspections, septic tank riser installation, and grease trap service. That separation works in your favor: the camera inspection is an honest reading of the pipe, and if it turns up something that needs repair, you get a plain description of what is wrong and roughly where it sits in the line to hand to the contractor you choose.

If the home is more than a few decades old, or the sewer line has never been inspected, it is one of the better-value checks you can make before closing. The sewer line is generally outside what a home inspector checks, and replacing a failed line is among the more expensive repairs a new owner can face. Book it early in your inspection period so there is time to act on what it shows, and if the house is on septic, remember that Title 5 is its own required inspection and covers the septic system, not the pipe.

You will know roughly how far from the access point it sits, based on how much of the camera line has gone into the pipe, and we point out the spot on the screen so you can see it for yourself. That is usually enough to describe the problem accurately to a repair contractor. If exact surface marking and depth are needed for a repair, say so when you book and we will tell you what we can do.

Yes, when you book both together so the time is planned for it. The usual order is to clear the line first and then run the camera, since a camera in a blocked pipe mostly shows you the blockage. Doing them in one visit also answers the question that matters most after a cleaning: whether the clog was a one-off or a symptom of something in the pipe.

Find the cleanout if you can; it is often a capped pipe close to the foundation wall, in the basement where the main line exits, or out in the yard along the path of the line. Clear the area around it and keep pets away from the equipment. If you have had the line cleared before, note when and by whom, and if this is for a home purchase, have the inspection deadline handy when you call.

Yes. The camera can run the line from the house to the septic tank, and with the tank open it can also look at the pipe between the tank and the distribution box, where roots and settled joints often cause trouble on older systems. A problem in those pipes can look like a septic problem when it is really a pipe problem, and knowing which one you have changes what you do next. If the tank is due for pumping, the two visits can be coordinated.

Then you know, which is the whole point, and you know it before it turns into a backup or a collapsed line. Most findings are not urgent; roots and small offsets are often managed with periodic cleaning for years before anything bigger is needed, and we tell you plainly how pressing a finding looks. When repair is the right call, you walk in with a clear picture of the problem instead of a contractor's guess, which puts you in a far better position on scope and price.

Restaurants and other kitchens, multi-unit residential buildings, offices, retail plazas, care facilities, and managed properties with shared drain and sewer lines. Tell us the pipe size, the approximate length of the run, and where the cleanouts are, so we can confirm the job suits our equipment before anyone is on site. Larger lines and longer runs take more time and are priced accordingly.

Yes. Tell us the window that causes the least disruption, where the cleanout is, where we can park, and who the on-site contact will be, and we plan the visit within it. For a restaurant that often means outside service hours; for a residential building it may mean coordinating with the property manager so tenants are not caught off guard. Settling those details ahead of time is what keeps the inspection quick and out of everyone's way.

The findings are explained on site in language you can relay to an owner or an insurer, and you get a record of the visit for your files. If you need the findings in a specific form for an insurance claim, a capital plan, or a board, tell us what you need when you book and we will let you know what we can provide.

Because clearing a line removes the blockage but not whatever caused it. In commercial buildings the usual culprits are grease buildup in kitchen lines, a low spot in the pipe that collects solids, roots at a joint, or a section of pipe that has shifted or broken. A camera run after the next clearing shows which one you are dealing with, so the maintenance budget goes toward the fix instead of repeated clearings.

Yes. A pre-acquisition or pre-lease camera inspection shows the condition of the drain and sewer lines before the property is yours to maintain, which is useful both for negotiating and for budgeting the first few years. Coordinate access with the current owner or manager, give us the cleanout locations if they are known, and let us know the deadline you are working against.

Yes. For a property with known root intrusion, aging pipe, or a kitchen line that loads up with grease, a camera check on a set interval catches problems while they are still small, and it can be paired with grease trap service or a drain cleaning visit so one trip covers both. We agree on the interval with you and adjust it based on what each inspection shows.