Is A CCTV Drain Survey Worth It?

The drains that lead from our homes and businesses to the main sewerage system are quite literally ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for the vast majority of the time. That is until they develop an issue, at which point one of their major plusses – that they take away all that unpleasant waste without us having to see or smell it as it goes – becomes more problematic.

Now, we’d be the first to agree that underground is undoubtedly the best place for our drains, but there’s no escaping the fact that it makes it harder to investigate and fix blockages that could turn out to be quite minor.

So how can you quickly determine what and where a drain issue is without digging up the whole area? In this article, we’re going to explore how CCTV drain surveys represent a fast, affordable and reliable means of both investigating all kinds of drain problems and preventing unnecessary expense.

What is a CCTV drain survey?

In the same way that doctors can send tiny cameras into our bodies to investigate potential disease, we can send specialist CCTV cameras through a drainage system to carry out an internal investigation. It allows us to get a full visual picture of the state of a property’s drains. 

We can even provide the client with a DVD of the results. It might not be the type of DVD you and the family are going to want to watch of an evening with pizza or popcorn, but it can provide useful evidence under certain circumstances, such as when carrying out a drain survey ahead of a property purchase. 

Why do you need a CCTV drain survey?

There are three main reasons why you might want to get a CCTV drain survey carried out at a property:

• To determine the cause and nature of an existing or developing issue

As we’ve already indicated, a CCTV drain survey is the quickest, most trouble-free means of determining the nature and location of a problem. Whether you have a blockage as a result of things going down the drain that shouldn’t, a collapsed drain, tree root ingress, a rat infestation or some other issue, a CCTV survey will reliably identify it.

And once your drainage engineer has been able to make an accurate assessment of the problem, they should then be able to make an equally accurate estimate as to what will be needed to put it right and how much that is likely to cost. CCTV surveys help to eliminate unpleasant surprises and additional costs after work has already started.

• As part of a general survey ahead of buying the property in question

We don’t think twice about having every aspect of a house investigated by a professional surveyor, because we want to make sure we’re buying somewhere that isn’t going to cost us thousands of pounds extra at a later date as a result of hidden defects. 

The same principle should apply to the drains. A simple CCTV survey can reassure you that the drains serving your potential new home are in good condition and likely to be able to continue working safely for the foreseeable future.

• To clarify whose responsibility an issue is

You’re only responsible for the drains within the boundaries of your property. If you’re not sure where a problem lies, you don’t want to spend money unnecessarily fixing what could turn out to be somebody else’s problem. A drain survey will be able to pinpoint when a blockage is the responsibility of a neighbour or even your local water company.

How long does a CCTV drain survey take?

It will, of course, depend on the size and extent of your home and grounds, but in most cases a CCTV drain survey shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours or so. It could take longer, but until we get started, it’s hard to be sure of what we’ll be looking at.

How much is a CCTV drain survey?

Even more than how long it takes, providing any kind of accurate estimate is difficult without certain information. If you’d like to get a quick quote, just get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll talk you through the process and the likely cost for your particular property.

A CCTV drain survey is just one of the many drainage services available to residential and commercial customers in and around Colchester, Essex and Suffolk from the professionals at AA Turner Tankers. We also provide expert and cost-effective drain unblocking and clearance services to quickly sort out a wide range of drainage issues. 

Get in touch now to find out more.