CCTV Drain Inspection
Pretoria North
CCTV drain inspection, Pretoria North: see the fault before you pay anyone to dig. A camera goes in at a cleaning eye, travels the line, and shows what is wrong and how far along it is.
Request a call-out
What a drain camera shows, and when you need one
Not for every blockage: for the ones that keep coming back, and for the house you are about to buy.
A drain camera is a small waterproof camera on a cable, pushed through the drain from a cleaning eye or manhole while the picture shows on a screen above ground. It shows roots growing through joints, cracked or displaced pipes, sagging sections where water lies, collapsed pipe, and build-up of fat or scale.
The useful part is the distance. The length of cable that has gone in shows how far along each fault is, so it can be marked on the ground above, and a repair becomes one hole in the right place instead of a trench along the whole line.
It is the right call when a drain blocks again soon after clearing, when rods bring up roots or soil, when the ground over the drain sinks, before you pave or build over a drain route, and before you buy a house.
The drain is yours, all the way to the connection
Tshwane's by-laws make the owner answerable for a pipe nobody can see, and the seller answerable for it at transfer.
Tshwane's Sanitation By-laws define the drain as the part of the drainage installation owned by the property owner and laid in the ground to carry sewage to the sewer connection, and the owner connects it to the sewer at their own expense (section 15). Whatever happens to that buried pipe is the owner's to find and fix.
When the house is sold, the Water Supply By-laws require the seller to provide a certificate from an accredited plumber confirming, among other things, that there is no discharge of stormwater into the sewer (section 3). A camera shows where a gutter, downpipe or yard drain has been tied into the sewer, which is exactly what that certificate has to rule out.
Building over a municipal sewer, or digging under or near one, without the City's written consent is an offence (Sanitation By-laws, section 19), and manholes and cleaning eyes on the property must stay visible and accessible. Before a driveway, carport or new room goes over a drain route, it pays to know where the line runs and what state it is in.
The ground keeps the pipe moving. North of the Magaliesberg the soils turn to the black clays of the Bushveld side, and the CSIR's guide to buried pipelines names heaving clay as a condition that needs particular attention. A joint that opens and closes with the seasons is where roots find their way in.
A camera turns all of that from a guess into a recording: where the line runs, where it fails, and whose problem each fault is.
If you are buying a house in Pretoria North, ask for the drains to be filmed before transfer, not after you move in.
Source: Tshwane Sanitation By-laws, 2014 · Tshwane Water Supply By-laws, 2014 · Geological Survey, Geology of the Pretoria area, 1977 · CSIR Red Book, water supply chapter
Drain camera cardWhat the camera found
Access
The cleaning eye or manhole used, and where it is on the property.
Footage
Watched with you on the screen, and kept so you can show your insurer or a buyer.
Faults
Each one named, with its distance from the access point.
Stormwater
Any gutter, downpipe or yard drain tied into the sewer, noted for transfer.
Options
Repair choices explained, then quoted separately.
Ask for the fault distances to be marked on the ground. It makes any later repair quote easy to compare.
You see what the camera sees
The inspection is evidence for you, not a sales tool.
The camera is evidence for you, not a sales tool. You watch the footage while it runs, the faults are written down with their distances, and any repair is quoted afterwards.
If the line is sound, the card says so, and that is the end of it.
The plumber behind Noord Plumbing has eight years of plumbing work in Pretoria North.
From a cleaning eye to a clear answer
The camera goes in where the drain already opens, so nothing is dug to look.
Find the access
The cleaning eye or manhole nearest the problem. If you know where they are, say so in the request.
Clear if needed
If the line is blocked, it is cleared before the camera goes in.
Film the line
The camera through the drain, each fault noted with its distance.
Show and explain
Footage watched together, faults marked on the ground, repair options quoted afterwards.
Drain camera questions
Asked before the spade comes out.
How much does a CCTV drain inspection cost in Pretoria North?
It depends on the length of the line, the access and whether the drain has to be cleared first. Published Pretoria guides do not give one reliable figure, so the price is given before the visit, with any clearing priced separately.
Do I need a camera inspection before buying a house?
It is worth it, especially for an older house or one with big trees near the drains. The seller must provide a plumber's certificate at transfer, but a camera shows the inside of the buried drains in a detail a walk-around check cannot.
Can the camera find a blockage?
It shows what the blockage is and where, which helps when clearing keeps failing. A fully blocked line is usually cleared first so the camera can pass it and see the cause.
Will a camera show roots in my drain?
Yes, roots are among the clearest things on camera: fine strands or dense mats growing through joints. The footage also shows whether the pipe around them is cracked, which decides between cutting the roots and repairing the pipe.
Can a camera show where my drain runs?
It shows the route and the distance along it. With the distance marked on the ground, an extension, paving or a carport can be planned around the line instead of over it, which matters because building over a municipal sewer without the City's consent is an offence.
Is the footage useful for an insurance claim?
Footage of the cause and its position is clear evidence if a drain has caused damage. Ask for a copy of what was recorded, along with the written list of faults.
Request a call-out
Tell us the job and leave a number, and the plumber calls you to talk it through.
Water where it should not be? Turn it off at the meter now. It is the cheapest part of any repair.
Pretoria North and the suburbs around it
From the Apies River west to Rosslyn, and from Onderstepoort down to the foot of the Magaliesberg.
North
Wolmer, Onderstepoort, Bon Accord, Hesteapark, Clarina, The Orchards, Klerksoord
East
Annlin, Wonderboom, Sinoville, Magalieskruin, Montana, Montana Park, Doornpoort
South
Mountain View, Park Town Estate, Mayville, Wonderboom South
West
Dorandia, Florauna, Tileba, Theresapark, Ninapark, Karenpark, Amandasig, Akasia, Chantelle, Rosslyn
Not sure your suburb is covered? Send the request anyway and say where you are.