When you need a CCTV drain inspection
A one-off blockage is a clear-and-go job. A drain that has blocked twice in a year, a drain that gurgles every time it rains, or a drain that blocks again a month after it was jetted all have a structural cause — a break, a root entry, a sag, or a collapsed section. That is when we run the camera. CCTV turns a guess into a location, and a location turns a big dig into a small one.
What the camera shows
The camera shows the inside of the line in real time: the pipe material (terracotta, PVC, galvanised, concrete), the condition of the joints, the location and extent of root intrusion, any cracks, sags or collapses, and the position of the fault down to the metre. We locate the fault from above ground with a sonde, so we can mark the exact spot to dig before we break the surface.
Water jetting to clear first
We jet the line first, then camera it. A camera cannot see through a blockage — it needs a clear line to travel. Jetting with a root-cutting nozzle clears the debris, flushes the line, and lets the camera run the full length to the boundary. We match the jetter pressure to the pipe material so we do not crack old terracotta or early PVC.
The report
After the inspection we give you a straight report: where the fault is, what it is, and the options — a localised dig-up and repair, a patch liner, or a line replacement. We include the footage and the location mark so another plumber could find the spot if needed. The report is the evidence; the repair quote is separate, so you decide with the cost up front.
Before you buy a house
If you are buying an older Traralgon or Morwell home, a pre-purchase sewer inspection is one of the best few hundred dollars you can spend. A terracotta lateral full of roots, or a collapsed section under a concrete driveway, is a five-figure surprise after settlement. We run the camera, report the condition, and flag anything that needs attention — so you buy with your eyes open.
On new builds and renovations
On a new build or a renovation, a CCTV check before backfilling and handover confirms the falls are right, the joints are made, and nothing has been damaged during construction. We have found building debris, broken fittings and even a line concreted into a footing on inspections — all cheaper to fix before the slab goes down than after.
Locating the fault from above ground
Finding the fault on the camera is only half the job; knowing where it is under the ground is the other half. We push a sonde — a small transmitter on the camera head — to the fault, then trace its signal from above ground with a locator, and mark the exact spot and depth on the surface before we dig. That mark turns a three-metre trench into a one-metre one, and it keeps a driveway or a garden intact where a guess would have torn it up. We measure the distance down the line from the access point and the depth from the surface, and we give you a sketch with the fault, the distance and the depth so the repair is scoped before the shovel comes out. On a line that runs under a concrete slab or a footpath, the locate is the difference between a targeted break-out and a demolition.