Drain camera inspection, see what the drain is actually doing
A camera down the line and footage you keep. Find out whether it is wet wipes or a cracked pipe full of roots before you pay to clear the same drain twice.
Get a price on drain camera inspection
We'll call you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Straight to Aidan's phone. No call centre, no lead-selling service.
Aidan will call you back, usually within the hour during the day. If it can't wait, call 0498 184 488.
Clearing a drain tells you it was blocked. It does not tell you why. If the cause is a root mass in a cracked clay joint, the machine that cleared it has bought you one season.
That is what the camera is for. We put it down the line, you watch the screen with us, and you keep the footage. What happens next is then your decision, made on what is in the pipe rather than on a quote for work you cannot see.
What we handle
- The cause of a repeat or slow-clearing blockage
- Root intrusion, cracked joints, collapses and bellies
- Pre-purchase drain inspections before you buy
- Checking the line after clearing, so you know it is actually clear
- Finding a fault and marking it on the surface
- Stormwater lines, downpipes and under-slab runs
- Footage and stills you keep, for insurance, a builder or a strata report
- A written summary of what we found when you need one
Why it's different up here
The Upper Mountains housing stock is old, and a lot of it still runs on original earthenware with mortared joints under gardens that have had eighty years to grow into them. That combination is why the same drains block again and again in Katoomba, Leura and Blackheath. It is also why a camera is worth running before you buy up here. A building and pest inspection does not go down the sewer, and a collapsed line under an established garden is a five figure surprise that turns up after settlement.
Roots at a joint or a pipe that has lost its shape
Two drains can block for different reasons and need different repairs. The camera lets us look at the pipe itself, so a drain that starts flowing again does not end the discussion if the joint still has a crack.
Roots in a pipe that still runs true
Roots find their way through mortared joints. Cutting them clears the obstruction, but it does not mend the opening that let them in.
A cracked or root-damaged line that keeps its shape and fall may suit relining. A fault in one section may suit a patch repair. The camera helps us work out whether either makes sense. An old clay pipe does not need a full reline on age alone.
A belly or a collapse
A belly is a sag in the line. A liner follows the pipe it goes into, so it cannot put that sag back on the right fall. That section needs excavation and re-laying.
A collapse is different. The pipe may have no shape left to line. If that is what we find, we will say it needs a dig.
Footage you can take to the next conversation
You keep the footage and stills from the inspection, so you are not left trying to describe a fault you saw once on a screen beside the drain.
If a strata manager or an insurer wants it in writing, tell Aidan. The pictures show the fault, and the words put it in front of someone who did not attend.
The next decision depends on those findings. A line that needs clearing and a section that needs excavation mean different work. Use the footage to discuss the proposed repair, including what sits above the pipe. Under a driveway or an established garden, digging also means putting the surface back afterwards.
Relining can avoid that disturbance if the pipe suits it. On a short run in open lawn, digging may make more sense. Either way you have the pictures while you weigh it up.
The things people ask
Do I get to see the footage?
Yes. You watch it live on the screen while we run the camera, and you keep a copy. If we are telling you a pipe needs work, you should be able to see the reason for yourself.
Should I get the drains checked before I buy?
On an older mountain property it is worth it. A building and pest inspection does not go down the sewer, and original clay lines under mature trees are the most expensive thing to find out about after you have moved in.
Can you fix what the camera finds?
Usually on the same visit for anything that clears, and we quote on the rest. We are licensed for drainage, so a repair, a reline or a dig does not mean bringing in another trade and waiting on their schedule.
Can you mark the fault before anyone digs?
Yes. We use the camera with a locator to trace the fault and mark its position on the surface. We can give you a depth reading too. Ground conditions and other buried services can affect that reading, so we will tell you if it looks uncertain. The point is to locate the section that needs work before opening the ground.
Can you inspect stormwater as well as sewer lines?
Yes. We inspect stormwater lines and downpipes as well as sewer drains, including under-slab runs. Tell Aidan which line has the problem. If you do not know where it runs, pipe locating can help trace its route before any digging.
Drain camera inspection across the Upper Mountains
Other services
Need drain camera inspection?
Call Aidan and get a straight answer about what it takes to fix it.
0498 184 488