Water where it should not be? The emergency line is answered by a person, 24 hours a day, every day of the year — and we will talk you to your shutoff before anybody gets in a van. Call 000-000-0000
Everything expensive about drains comes from working blind. A camera costs a fraction of the cheapest repair and it converts an argument into a fact: here is the pipe, here is what is wrong with it, here is how far from the cleanout it sits and here is where that lands on your front garden.
It is also the single most useful thing a buyer can do before closing on a house in this neighbourhood. Clay and cast iron of a certain age are normal here; a collapsed section under the sidewalk is a five-figure surprise that a $295 inspection would have found.
When it is worth doing
Not on every blocked sink. But in these situations it usually pays for itself immediately.
Before you buy a house
Especially a pre-war Queens house that has not been repiped. The seller's disclosure does not cover what nobody has looked at.
A line that has blocked more than twice
If you are on your third clearing, you are paying for a diagnosis in instalments. Buy the diagnosis instead.
Before spending money on a repair
Any quote for sewer work given without a camera is a guess, and guesses are always priced defensively.
After a backup into the house
So you know whether it was a one-off or the first symptom of something structural.
Before finishing a basement
Find out what is under the floor before you put a floor on top of it.
When you are selling
A clean report removes a bargaining chip. A found defect lets you price it rather than discover it during someone else's inspection.
What the inspection tells you
Cameras answer specific questions, and it is worth knowing which ones.
Pipe material and diameter
Clay, cast iron, Orangeburg, PVC — each has its own life expectancy and its own failure mode.
Where the defects are
Distance from the cleanout, and the location and depth transmitted to the surface with a locator and marked on the ground.
What kind of defect
Roots, grease, scale, an offset joint, a crack, a belly holding water, or a full collapse. They have different prices.
Slope and standing water
A belly shows up as water sitting where water should be running. Nothing else reveals this.
Connections and unknown branches
Old, abandoned and undocumented connections turn up regularly in houses of this age.
What is genuinely fine
Which is the most common finding, and worth the money on its own.
What you get
The point of an inspection is the evidence, so the evidence leaves with you.
The recording
The full run, supplied as a file. Yours to keep, share with a contractor, or hand to a buyer's attorney.
A written summary
In plain language: what the pipe is, what was found, where it is, and what we would do about it — including doing nothing.
Surface marks
Paint or flags on the ground over the defect, with the depth written down, so any future excavation starts in the right place.
A price for the fix, if there is one
Spot repair, lining, bursting and full replacement, side by side. No pressure attached, and the footage stands on its own if you want a second opinion.
Questions
Camera Inspection — the questions we are asked most
How much is a sewer camera inspection in Woodside, NY?
$295 for a standard recorded inspection of the main house drain with a written summary, or $345 for a pre-purchase report formatted for a buyer's file. If you go ahead with a sewer repair with us within 90 days, the fee is credited in full.
Should I get a sewer inspection before buying a house?
In this neighbourhood, yes. Clay and cast iron house sewers of considerable age are entirely normal here, and a collapsed section under the sidewalk is a five-figure repair that no visual home inspection will find. It is the cheapest large risk you can retire before closing.
Do I get a copy of the video?
Yes, always — the full run as a file, plus a written summary in plain language. It is yours to keep, to send to another contractor for a second opinion, or to hand to an attorney.
Can you tell exactly where the problem is?
Yes. The camera head carries a transmitter, so we locate it from the surface and mark the spot on the ground with the depth written down. That is what turns a repair from exploratory digging into a known, priced job.
Can the camera go through a toilet or a small drain?
We prefer a proper cleanout for the main line. For branch and fixture lines we use a smaller push camera, which will travel a bathroom or kitchen branch comfortably. Where there is no usable access at all, we will tell you before you book rather than after.
What if the inspection finds nothing wrong?
That is the most common result, and it is worth the money. You get a dated recording showing a sound line, which is useful when you sell, useful for an insurer, and useful the next time somebody tells you your sewer needs replacing.
Related
Often needed alongside this
Drains & Sewers
Drain Cleaning & Unclogging
Same-day unclogging for sinks, tubs, showers, toilets and main lines — cleared properly, with the reason it blocked explained.
Read more
Drains & Sewers
Hydro Jetting
High-pressure water that scours the pipe wall back to bare — the fix for grease, scale and roots that keep coming back.
Read more
Drains & Sewers
Sewer Line Repair
House sewer and water service lines located, priced honestly, and repaired in place where a spot repair will genuinely do.
Read moreSame-day service in most cases
Book a plumber, or call the 24-hour line
Tell us what the water is doing and we will tell you honestly whether it needs somebody tonight or whether it will keep until the morning. Diagnostics are $89 and credited in full against any repair you approve.