Sewer Camera Inspection: What It Is, What It Finds and When You Need One
By Mike Holt, NJ Master Plumber · June 9, 2024 · 4 min read · Updated November 1, 2026
Quick answer
A sewer camera inspection is a waterproof camera on a flexible cable that a plumber pushes through your sewer line while you watch the video. It can show roots, cracks, sags, grease buildup and collapsed sections, and where they are. It may be recommended where conditions warrant, such as when the same drain keeps clogging, before you buy a house or after a sewer backup.
Want us to take a look? We find the cause and give you written upfront flat-rate pricing options before any work starts.
Clearing a clogged sewer line tells you it was blocked. A camera inspection tells you why. That's the difference between paying to clear the same roots every few months and fixing the one bad section that keeps catching them.
How does a sewer camera inspection work?
A plumber feeds a waterproof camera on a flexible push cable into the line, usually through a cleanout (a capped pipe in the basement or the yard). If there's no cleanout, the camera can go in through a toilet drain after the toilet is pulled. You watch the live video on a monitor as the camera travels toward the street.
Many sewer cameras also carry a small transmitter in the head. A locator above ground picks up its signal, so the plumber can mark the spot and depth of a problem on your lawn. We don't do outside digging or excavation, so if the fix needs outside digging, contact us to confirm scope.
What can a camera find?
| Finding | What it means | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tree roots at a joint | Roots grow in through old joints and catch paper and waste | Clear the roots by a method that suits the pipe; repair the joint if they keep coming back |
| Grease or scale buildup | The pipe is narrowed from the inside | Cleaning, by a method that suits the pipe's condition |
| Belly (sag) | A low spot holds water and waste, so clogs keep forming there | Repair that section |
| Offset or separated joint | Two pipe sections shifted apart | Repair that section |
| Crack or broken pipe | Water leaks into the soil and dirt or roots get in | Repair that section |
| Collapsed section | The pipe has caved in and nothing gets past | Replacement; we don't do outside digging or excavation, so contact us to confirm scope |
| Something stuck | Wipes, toys, a lost tool | Remove it, by a method that suits the pipe |
Older Central New Jersey homes often have cast iron or clay sewer pipes, and both can crack, rust through or let roots in at the joints after decades in the ground. The photo above, from one of our jobs, shows a cracked joint on a cast iron drain in a basement. A camera finds the same kind of damage on the part of the line you can't see.
When do you need a sewer camera inspection?
- The same drain or the main line keeps clogging. Clearing it again without looking just resets the clock.
- After a sewer backup. Find out whether it was a one-time clog or a damaged pipe.
- Before you buy a house. Especially an older one, or one with big trees near the line. A standard home inspection usually doesn't include the sewer line.
- Before a bathroom or kitchen remodel, so you aren't putting new floors over an old problem.
- When something looks wrong outside: a soggy or sunken patch of lawn, or grass that's greener over one strip.
Camera inspection or just drain cleaning?
If a single sink is slow, you probably don't need a camera; a snake often fixes it. Our guide to unclogging a drain covers that. A camera may be recommended for the main line: when several drains back up, when the lowest drain overflows, or when the main has clogged before. The line may need to be cleared first so the camera can get through. See snaking vs. hydro jetting for how the clearing part works.
How much does a sewer camera inspection cost?
It depends on how easy the line is to reach, whether it has to be cleared first and how long it is, so we price it for your job. A service call is $49, waived if you go ahead with the work. Written upfront flat-rate pricing options. You choose. Outside regular hours, emergency service requires a $250 upfront emergency fee. When paid, the standard $49 service fee is waived. During regular hours there is no emergency fee. Additional repairs are quoted before work begins. We respond immediately upon contact; dispatch and arrival depend on availability and location. Our sewer line repair cost guide explains what changes the price of the repair itself.
What happens after the inspection?
You see the footage, we show you the problem and where it is, and we explain your options:
- Clearing when the pipe itself is sound and the problem is roots or buildup. The method depends on pipe material, condition, the obstruction and access.
- Section repair when one crack, sag or bad joint is causing the trouble. We don't do outside digging or excavation, so contact us to confirm scope.
- Full replacement when the line is broken or collapsed in several places. The same applies: we don't dig outside, so contact us to confirm scope.
Written upfront flat-rate pricing options. You choose. Learn more on our sewer and water line page, or call 908-873-6686 to book a camera inspection. Contact us to confirm whether your job site is within our current service area.
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Stop and call us if
- Sewage or dirty water comes up through a floor drain, tub or toilet.
- The main line has clogged more than once in a year.
- You're buying a house more than about 40 years old, or one with big trees in the front yard.
- There's a soggy, sunken or extra-green patch of lawn over the sewer line.
Call 908-873-6686.
Michael Holt
Owner and operator of Plumbing Doctor, NJ Master Plumber (Lic. #36BI01345600) and U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
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