Camera Pipe Inspection

Have you had plumber after plumber to your property to try to open your main drain, but nothing works?

South East Total Service will inspect your line or sewer with our camera equipment and explain the condition of your pipes while you watch on the monitor.  We can show you a break in the line, greasy build up, clogs, roots...anything that is causing your reoccurring problem. This camera equipment may also be used to inspect septic tanks, ventilation ducts, crawl spaces, chimneys, attics, wells and much more.

About Inspection Cameras

Sometimes referred to as a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge), the camera and lights are mounted in a swiveling head attached to a cylindrical body. The camera head can pan and tilt remotely. Integrated into the camera head are lighting devices, typically LEDs, for illuminating the pipeline. The camera is connected to display equipment via a long cable wound upon a winch. Incorporate a series of lasers in the camera to accurately measure the pipe diameter and other data.

Using a camera tractor

Tractor with motor and cradle for the inspection head.

How it works

A run to be inspected will either start from an access pipe leading at an angle down to the sewer and then run downstream to a manhole, or will run between manholes. The service truck is parked above the access point of the pipe. The camera tractor, with a flexible cable attached to the rear, is then lowered into the pipeline. The tractor is moved forward so that it is barely inside of the pipeline. A "down-hole roller" is set up between the camera tractor and the cable reel in the service truck, preventing cable damage from rubbing the top of the pipeline. The operator then retires to the inside of the truck and begins the inspection, remotely operating the camera tractor from the truck. When the inspection is complete or the camera cable is fully extended, the camera tractor is put in reverse gear and the cable is wound up simultaneously. When the camera tractor is near the original access point, the down-hole roller is pulled up and the camera tractor is moved into the access point and pulled up to the service truck. A tractor may be used to inspect a complete blockage or collapse that would prevent using a fish and rope as described below. 

Pulling the camera backwards

For small diameter pipes there may not be enough room for the tractor mechanism. Instead, a somewhat rigid "fish" is pushed through the pipe and attached to a rope at the access point near the truck. The fish is then pulled to place the rope along the pipe. The rope is then used to pull the inspection pig and cable through the pipe. Detaching the rope, the cable is then used to pull the pig backwards as the pipe is inspected on the monitor.