CCTV Drain Survey: What Is It & Do You Need It For Your Home?
Updated on February 2, 2023 by Team ShineSheets

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A CCTV drain survey is very useful for prospective homeowners and long-term tenants. Drains are important to every single building. However, drains are often overlooked and never really at the top of people’s lists when they check over their homes. However, arranging for a professional to attend your property for a proper CCTV drain survey can help you to identify any issues within the system before they become a much more serious problem.
So, what exactly does a drain survey tell us? Below, we will go over what is included in a drain survey report so that you can completely understand what happens when you hire a professional to carry out a drain survey for you.
The Process of a Drain Survey
When you contact a drain specialist to complete a drain survey for you, the engineer will discuss your requirements with you. This will include going into some details about your type of property and the type of drain survey that you would like.
If you’re unsure how much a CCTV drain survey costs, the contractor will be able to give you an idea of the price you can expect to pay at this point.
From there, the contractor will book a time and date for your CCTV drain survey. Once the engineer attends your property, they will carry out the inspection using the appropriate equipment.
What Happens During a CCTV Drain Survey?
During the survey, your engineer will feed a waterproof camera through your drainage system. The camera used for the drain survey is able to withstand a lot of heavy pressure. This is a key requirement for these types of inspections as the drain tends to have a lot of flowing water within the system. The CCTV drain survey camera can tilt and pan. This allows the engineer to have a full scope of the drain, allowing them to identify all potential issues within the system.
The engineer will view every part of your drain system using a CCTV drain camera. They will be able to view areas that would be awkward or impossible to reach without this equipment. CCTV drain cameras can help you to identify a range of problems, including the following:
- Pipe scale
- Root ingress
- Incorrect installation
- Blockages
- Displaced joints
- Causes of leaks
- Collapsed drains
What Is Included In a Drain Survey Report?
Once the engineer has completed your drain survey for you, they may discuss their findings with you face to face or compile a report for you detailing everything they have found in the survey and what they suggest as the next course of action.
Depending on your chosen drain survey package, you may receive different information. Some drain surveys will provide more details than others.
In some cases, you may be able to receive a copy of the video footage so that you can view all of the issues yourself and take the appropriate next steps.
What Happens Next?
Once you’ve received your report or had a discussion about the issues in your drain system, it’s then time to figure out how to fix the problems. A drain specialist will be able to help you with any problems with your drain.
Many drain problems will only get worse over time, so you should never leave them without fixing them. In some cases, leaving a drain problem without fixing it may result in a much bigger problem which could end up costing you much more down the line.
With this in mind, it’s important that you seek help for your drainage issues as soon as possible. Hiring a professional drain engineer is your best option, regardless of the problem.
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