Trenchless methods
Sewer camera inspection in Atlanta
The pipe is buried in red clay under a slab or a lawn, and nobody can see it. A camera can. Before anyone proposes jetting, lining, bursting or digging under a Atlanta property, a recorded inspection should show what is wrong, where it is and how deep.
Serving Atlanta · Fulton County
Fletch Barney Trenchless, LLC
CIPP Verified installer. Camera inspection before any quote; permits and inspections handled. More about Fletch Barney Trenchless →
The camera goes in first
A sewer problem in Atlanta announces itself at the surface: a tub that drains slowly, a gurgle when the washer empties, sewage at a floor drain after a thunderstorm, a green stripe across a dry lawn. None of that says what the pipe looks like. A clogged cast iron line under a slab, a root mass in a clay joint, a flattened section of Orangeburg and a separated PVC coupling all produce the same slow drain and call for four different repairs. The camera is the only way to tell them apart, and it is the basis for every recommendation that follows. A quote written before the inspection is a guess.
What the inspection reveals
A self-leveling camera on a push rod records the full length of the lateral from the cleanout to the public main, with a footage counter running on screen. It shows roots and which joints they entered through; cracks, fractures and missing pipe wall; offsets where one section has settled below the next, common in red clay after a wet winter; bellies where water stands because the pipe has sunk; the scale and corrosion that narrow old cast iron; grease and debris; and the pipe material itself, which tells you the era and the likely failure mode. A sonde in the camera head is traced from the surface to mark the depth and position of every defect, and in a region where granite can sit close under the clay, depth decides whether a trench is even practical.
What you should walk away with
You should receive the full recording, not a few still images, and a written finding that lists each defect by distance from the cleanout, its depth and what it is, with surface marks on the property to match. The report should name the pipe material and diameter and state whether the line is a candidate for jetting alone, lining, a sectional repair or bursting, and why. It should also note where the lateral meets the main, because who owns the lateral is not the same in the central city as in the suburban counties; the contractor confirms the rule for Atlanta so the quote covers the right length of pipe. the verified installer that inspects lines in Atlanta delivers inspections in that form across metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Inspections for buyers and sellers
Real estate is where a camera pays for itself most often. Home inspectors in Fulton County do not run a sewer camera as part of a standard inspection, and a buyer of a 1925 bungalow on terracotta or a 1965 ranch on cast iron under slab is taking on a line that may be near the end of its life. A scope before the inspection contingency expires gives the buyer footage to negotiate with or to walk away on. A seller who has a recent inspection, or a recent liner with before-and-after video and a warranty, has an answer ready for the question every informed buyer now asks.
The second inspection, after the repair
A camera inspection also closes a job. After a liner cures, a sleeve sets or a burst line is tied in, the camera goes back through the pipe and records the finished work from end to end, confirming that the bore is smooth, the branch connections are open and the pipe runs downhill all the way. That post-repair video is proof of what you paid for and should be a condition of final payment. It also becomes the baseline for any future inspection; the method pages at the CIPP reference describe what the post-cure video should show for each repair type.
Who should run the camera
Any plumber can own a camera; reading the picture takes experience with the pipe materials and soil conditions of this region. The inspector should be able to tell cast iron scale from a crack, a root intrusion from debris, and a true belly from a camera that has simply rolled, and should be able to explain the finding in plain terms with the footage paused on it. The verified installers listed at the verified installer directory are expected to inspect to that standard and to hand over the recording and the written finding without being asked.
Estimates are free. Call now: (877) 959-0155.
Other trenchless services in Atlanta
Trenchless Sewer Repair Atlanta
Repair or replace a failed sewer line with little or no excavation.
Sewer Pipe Lining (CIPP) Atlanta
A resin-saturated liner cured in place forms a new, jointless pipe inside the old one.
Pipe Bursting Atlanta
A bursting head splits the old pipe while pulling new HDPE pipe in behind it, through two small pits.
Sectional Point Repair Atlanta
A short liner fixes one bad spot and leaves the rest of a sound line alone.
Hydro Jetting Atlanta
High-pressure water strips roots, grease and scale so the pipe can be inspected and lined.
Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Atlanta
When a line cannot be lined: spot excavation or trenchless replacement, chosen from the footage.
Questions we hear about sewer camera inspection
What does a sewer inspection in Atlanta involve?+
A technician opens the cleanout, or pulls a toilet or roof vent if there is none, and feeds a self-leveling camera on a push rod through the line to the main. The video is recorded with a footage counter, a transmitter in the camera head is located from above ground to mark depth and position, and you get the recording plus a written summary of each finding.
How does the camera get into the line?+
Through the cleanout, which on a slab house is usually a capped fitting near the foundation or in the yard. Older in-town homes with basements often have one at the base of the stack. Where none exists, access is through a pulled toilet or, less often, a roof vent, and any repair that follows should include adding a proper cleanout.
Can the inspection tell how deep the pipe is?+
It can. A sonde rides in the camera head, and a receiver walked over the lawn pinpoints it and reads its depth. The crew marks the lawn or driveway above each defect with paint or flags. Depth matters in this region because granite is sometimes a few feet down, and it changes which method makes sense.
Should I have the sewer scoped before buying a house in Atlanta?+
Yes, especially for anything built before the 1980s. A standard home inspection does not include the lateral, and a pre-1940 clay line or a 1960s cast iron drain under a slab is a significant expense if it fails after closing. A scope takes about an hour and gives you the footage to negotiate with.
How do I schedule an inspection?+
Phone us or use the form, giving the address and the symptom if there is one. The visit is scheduled, the line is recorded, and you receive the video and a written finding whether or not any repair is recommended. Estimates are free; call now.