Sewer Line Camera Inspection

What the camera sees

A small lighted head travels down the pipe while the operator watches a live screen. It records cracks, offset joints, root intrusions, grease build up, flattened sections and low spots where water pools. A locator transmitter in the head lets us mark the precise spot on the lawn or floor above any defect, along with its depth. That turns a vague worry into a specific repair spot measured in centimetres.

Clay, cast iron and PVC laterals

Aurora has housing from almost every era, and the pipe tells the story. Pre-war houses near Yonge and Wellington often still have clay tile laterals. Mid-century homes may have cast iron inside and clay or early concrete outside. Subdivisions from the 1980s onward mostly run PVC from the house to the street. Each fails differently: clay at the joints, cast iron by scaling and splitting along the bottom, PVC at poorly bedded sections that sag over time.

Before you buy a house

A home inspection usually stops at the floor drain. The lateral, which can be the most costly single repair in a house, goes unseen. A camera inspection during the conditional period shows its condition before you commit. On older homes with large trees out front, we consider it close to essential.

Reading the report

You receive the video and a short written summary: pipe material, distances from the access point, and what we saw at each mark. We separate items into three groups:

• Normal wear that needs nothing now
• Maintenance items, such as light roots or grease, that cleaning handles
• Structural defects, such as breaks or collapses, that need repair or lining

We explain each finding in plain words and leave the decision with you.