Sewer Camera Inspection in Philadelphia

A sewer camera inspection is a video inspection of your sewer line using a waterproof camera on a flexible push rod. The camera goes in through a cleanout and travels down the pipe while the technician and the homeowner watch a live view on a monitor. It shows roots at pipe joints, cracks, broken or offset sections, sags that hold water, grease and scale buildup, and the exact point where a clog is sitting. A locator can find the camera head from above, so we can mark where a problem is and how deep it is.

Sewer line inspection takes the guesswork out of drain problems. Instead of guessing why a line keeps backing up, you see it. Instead of agreeing to a big repair on someone's word, you watch the pipe on screen. Fullerton Plumbing and Drain Cleaning carries sewer cameras on our trucks and gives every customer a live view. We explain what each section of pipe shows in plain language and can provide the recording so you can share it with a family member, a landlord, a real estate agent or a second contractor.

We perform sewer scope inspections for homeowners, home buyers, landlords, property managers and businesses across Philadelphia and Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties. A home buyer sewer scope is one of the smartest calls you can make before purchasing an older Philadelphia rowhome, since the lateral to the city main is generally the owner's responsibility. You get an upfront quote before any work starts, and we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when a camera is needed during an emergency.

Why a Sewer Scope Matters for Philadelphia Rowhomes

Many Philadelphia homes still drain through pipe that is decades old. A rowhome in Fishtown, Passyunk, Grays Ferry, Germantown or Manayunk may have an original cast iron stack, a house trap at the front wall, and a terra cotta clay or cast iron lateral running under the sidewalk to the city main. Postwar homes in the Northeast may have cast iron or, in some cases, Orangeburg, a fiber pipe that softens and deforms with age. None of this is visible from the basement. A sewer camera inspection is the only practical way to see the condition of the pipe, and in Philadelphia that matters because the property owner is generally responsible for the lateral from the house to the main, not the Philadelphia Water Department.

That makes a home buyer sewer scope one of the most useful checks before closing on an older Philadelphia rowhome or twin. A standard home inspection usually does not include the sewer line. Street trees, settled soil under sidewalks and old clay joints can hide root intrusion, broken sections or sags that turn into expensive repairs. A scope before you buy gives you real information for your negotiation. In the suburbs, the same logic applies to older homes on the Main Line, in Delaware County towns like Upper Darby and Havertown, and in boroughs like West Chester and Norristown.

What Affects the Cost of a Sewer Camera Inspection

The cost of a sewer camera inspection depends on access, line length and whether the pipe is clear enough to inspect. A home with an accessible house trap cleanout and an open line is the simplest case. A line that has to be cleared or jetted first, a home with no usable cleanout, a long lateral or multiple lines in a commercial building all add to the scope. Locating and marking problem spots and providing a recording are part of how we work. We give you an upfront quote before any work starts.