Sewer camera inspection in San Diego

What the inspection is

A self-leveling color camera on a push rod goes into the line, usually through a cleanout, and we drive it from the house to the main while you watch the screen. A sonde in the camera head lets us locate any problem from the surface with a receiver, so we can mark on the lawn or driveway exactly where a break is and how deep. The whole run is recorded, and you get the file.

What it shows

• Roots, and which joints they came through
• Cast iron scale and channel rot: the rusted floor of a 1950s pipe, or a floor that isn't there any more
• Offset and separated clay joints from soil movement
• Bellies: low spots holding water, common where the clay soil under a Clairemont or Tierrasanta yard has settled
• Cracks, holes and collapses
• Orangeburg pipe, which looks blistered and egg-shaped
• Where the line goes, how deep it is, and whether there's a cleanout (often not, on pre-1970 homes)
• Old repairs, illegal connections, and the condition of the tap at the main

What it can't show: a pipe that's completely full of water or sewage until we clear it, which is why an inspection on a backed-up line starts with a cable or jet.

When to get one

Before a repair quote. Any sewer repair over a simple clearing should start with a camera, and you should be able to see the footage. If a contractor tells you the line needs replacing and can't show you why, get another inspection.

Before buying a house. Sewer camera inspection San Diego buyers order on any house built before about 1975 is the cheapest due diligence in the transaction. A general home inspector doesn't look at the lateral. A few California cities require a lateral inspection or certificate at sale; in San Diego County the rule varies by city, so ask, and get the inspection regardless. Finding a $12,000 lateral before close is a negotiation; finding it after is your bill.

After repeated clogs. Sewer line cleaning San Diego homes have done every spring is a sign the line has a problem cleaning doesn't fix. The camera shows what.

After foundation or landscape work. Anything that moved soil near the pipe, or a new tree planted over it.

What it costs

$250–$500 for a standard residential run, with the locate and the recording included. If we're already on site clearing a backup, the camera afterwards is at the lower end. A second run after a repair is included in the repair price, always.

We charge for the inspection because it's a real service. A free camera inspection is paid for by the replacement it finds, and that's a bad incentive to hand a contractor.

Reading the footage

We'll walk you through it on site, but the camera inspection guide shows what roots, scale, offsets and bellies look like on screen so you can follow along, and signs of a broken sewer line covers what usually prompts the call. If the inspection turns up a problem, the fix is one of sewer line repair, trenchless or replacement, and the footage is the thing that tells you which.

Hydro jetting and cleaning

Cast iron usually needs to be descaled before the camera can see the wall, and clay usually needs roots cut. We carry a jetter on the truck. Jetting and camera together is $350–$700. If the line turns out to be sound, that's the whole bill, and you've had a proper cleaning and a recorded baseline for the next time something feels slow.