Sewer line camera inspection in Denver

How a sewer line camera inspection works

A sewer line camera inspection in Denver sends a waterproof camera head through the pipe on a semi-rigid push rod, or on a self-propelled crawler for larger lines, while the operator watches a monitor and records the trip. The head carries its own lights and a transmitting sonde. It enters through a cleanout, a pulled toilet, a roof vent or a manhole and travels to the main or as far as the pipe allows. The operator pauses at every joint, defect and connection, notes the distance from the entry point, and describes what is on screen. The whole run is saved as a video file with the footage counter and the operator's notes over the picture.

The pipe should be reasonably clear before the camera goes in. A line full of standing water or debris hides the wall, so an inspection after a backup is often preceded by cabling or jetting. A pipe filmed through murky water shows very little, and a report based on that footage should say so.

Footage counter and locator

Two instruments turn the video into something a repair can be planned from. The footage counter on the reel reads how many feet of rod have been paid out, so every defect is recorded at a distance from the entry point. The sonde in the camera head emits a signal that a hand-held locator on the surface picks up, giving the position and depth of the head at any moment. When the operator parks the camera on a defect and walks the locator over it, the spot can be marked on the lawn or driveway with its depth. That mark is what makes a sectional repair or a bursting pit possible without exploratory digging.

What the operator is grading

Trained inspectors describe defects in a standard vocabulary, most often the NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification Program, or PACP, which assigns codes and severity grades so that one pipe can be compared with another. You do not need the codes, but the categories behind them are worth knowing.

• Structural defects are damage to the pipe wall itself: cracks along or around the pipe, fractures where cracks have opened, broken pieces, holes, deformation where the pipe has lost its round shape, and collapse.
• Joint defects are problems where two pipe lengths meet: an offset where one end has dropped below the other, a separation where they have pulled apart, or an open joint admitting soil or roots.
• Operational and maintenance findings are things in the pipe rather than damage to it: roots, grease, scale, mineral deposits, debris, and standing water in a belly where the pipe has sagged.
• Infiltration is groundwater entering through a joint or crack, seen as a weep, drip or running stream, and it tells you the pipe is leaking outward too when it is full.

Each observation carries a severity grade from minor to failing. A report that lists observations by distance, type and grade is what a lining contractor works from; a report that says only that the pipe is in bad shape is not enough to quote against.

Common findings and what each means for lining

Most defects a camera finds are candidates for cured-in-place lining, because lining needs only that the pipe still hold its shape. Longitudinal and circumferential cracks, fractures that have not displaced, open and slightly offset joints, root entry, scale and light infiltration are all resolved by a liner that covers them with a continuous new wall. A belly, where a section of pipe has settled and holds water, is not fixed by lining; the liner follows the sag, and the standing water remains, so the belly is either accepted or excavated and regraded. A collapse, a badly deformed section or a joint offset by a large fraction of the diameter is beyond a liner and is burst or dug. A report from sewer camera inspection services in Denver should say clearly which category each defect falls into, so that the repair scope follows from the findings rather than from a preference.

Inspections in Denver before buying, selling or lining

Homebuyers increasingly order a sewer inspection alongside the general home inspection, since the standard inspection does not look at the lateral. Some municipalities require a lateral inspection at sale or before a permit is issued. A pre-lining inspection is a required first step in any lining job, and it doubles as the record of the pipe before the liner went in. Whatever the reason for the inspection, the deliverables are the same: the video file, a written report with distances and grades, and a locate of any defect that may need a targeted repair. A description of how a CCTV sewer survey is graded explains the grading in more depth for anyone who wants to read their own report closely.

Choosing who runs the camera

The camera is only as useful as the person interpreting it. An operator with PACP or equivalent training describes defects consistently and grades them against a standard; an operator without it may describe the same pipe very differently on a different day. An inspection offered by a company that also sells repairs is normal, so long as the footage is yours to take elsewhere. verified CIPP installers serving Denver lists installers who provide the raw video as standard and whose pre- and post-lining footage can be compared side by side, which is the best evidence that the inspection was done for your benefit rather than as a sales step.

Common questions in Denver