Inspect
Drain camera inspection
HD video of what is inside your drain and sewer lines, with faults located from the surface, so repairs start from evidence.
Repair · Drainage services Sometimes a drain just needs clearing. The camera tells us when it doesn't.
A sewer line gets drain cleaning: an auger for roots, paper or something that shouldn't be down there. A perimeter drain gets hydro jetting: high-pressure water that pushes out silt, leaves and sediment. The camera shows which your line needs, whether the pipe can take it, and when it's past cleaning and needs a repair. You get the footage and the answer, whether or not we do the work.
Signs the line needs more than a plunger
A single slow sink is the fixture. Two or more of these at once, or the same one coming back, is the line — and what's blocking it decides the fix.
Perimeter drain
- A perimeter drain carrying less water than it should after heavy rain
- Water backing up into a basement floor drain, or a damp line along the base of the wall
- A catch basin or downspout that overflows in a storm
- Mature trees near the line's run, or a house past sixty years with the original tile
Sewer line
- More than one fixture draining slowly at the same time
- Gurgling from a floor drain or toilet when the washing machine empties
- A smell at a cleanout or floor drain that doesn't clear
- The same blockage coming back in the same place
Four things we find in a blocked line
Each clears differently, and one doesn't clear at all. The camera tells us which before anyone quotes.
- Roots at an open joint. Sewer An auger cuts them and restores flow for a season or three — often the right call. The gap that let them in is still there, so we tell you when it's time to fix the joint instead. On camera: a root mat at a joint.
- Paper, wipes or something that shouldn't be there. Sewer Drain cleaning clears it. If it keeps coming back, something in the pipe is catching it. On camera: a lip at an offset joint, or a low spot where paper settles and builds.
- Silt, leaves and sediment. Perimeter drain Hydro jetting pushes it out — on pipe that can take the pressure. On old clay or brittle cement tile we don't jet: the pressure can do more harm than the silt. On camera: sediment banked along the bottom of an otherwise sound pipe.
- A damaged section — belly, offset or collapse. Either Not a cleaning job at any pressure. A belly needs re-grading, which means opening the ground. A break or offset is repaired where the camera found it. On camera: a joint that's shifted out of line, a section that's come apart, or a pipe that's crushed flat. Sewer line repair covers the private sewer pipe, and perimeter drainage repair covers the footing drain.
What happens after the camera
Three honest outcomes. We tell you which one you're in and what it's warranted for.
| Outcome | When | Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| Clear it auger or jet |
Blockage in sound pipe | Service call. No term on cleaning — what's still in the pipe can block it again. |
| Sectional replacement | One failed joint, belly or break on a sound run | 5 years on perimeter drainage 2 years on sewer |
| Full replacement | Clay, cement tile or Big-O past cleaning, or multiple defects | Up to 10 years on perimeter drainage 2 years on sewer |
We don't line sewers or install trenchless systems. It isn't accurate and it doesn't hold on this pipe.
Scope and price in writing before work starts. You see the footage, you see the quote, you decide. If the honest answer is "clear it and check again in two years," that's the quote.
Covered by our Built Better Warranty.
See details of the Built Better WarrantyHydro jetting, for perimeter drains
We don't jet sewers — an auger is the right tool for what blocks them. Jetting is for perimeter drains: high-pressure water through a nozzle that scours the inside wall of the pipe and pushes silt, leaves and fine roots out of the run, where an auger only bores a hole through the middle. On sound pipe it's the best clean there is.
On old clay or brittle cement tile it's a risk — the pressure can do more harm than the silt. So the camera goes first, and if a flush won't fix what's wrong we tell you before we start, and show you on camera what will. See perimeter drain repair.
Why older perimeter drains block
Most homes we serve were built with clay or cement tile, or soft corrugated Big-O. Clay and cement joints open and let roots in; Big-O deforms and holds silt in its ribs. Once shifted, both are past cleaning, and neither should be flushed at pressure. See our guide to clay, Big-O and PVC drain tile.
Sewer lines fail differently — roots at joints, a sag that holds water, or a partial collapse on aged pipe — and sewer line repair covers them.
October to April is when a partly blocked drain shows itself. Get it looked at before the rain, not during the claim.
Related services
Repair
Sewer line repair
Camera-located sewer lateral repair and replacement, from the house to the property line.
Repair
Perimeter drainage repair
Spot repair, one side or full renewal, scoped from camera footage of your drain tile and the age of the pipe around it.
Related reading
Guide ·
Signs your perimeter drains are failing
Perimeter drains usually fail quietly. Here are eight signs that show up inside the house first, what each one usually means, and what to do about it.
What clients say about our drain cleaning and hydro jetting work
★★★★★ Came when he said and fixed the problem.
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between snaking and hydro jetting?
A snake, or auger, cuts a path through the blockage. Jetting scours the full inside wall of the pipe with high-pressure water. We use an auger on sewer lines, where roots, paper and things that shouldn't be there cause the blockage, and hydro jetting on perimeter drains, where silt, leaves and sediment build up along the run.
Can hydro jetting damage old pipe?
It can. On sound pipe, jetting is the best clean there is. On old clay or brittle cement tile the pressure can do more harm than the silt, so we don't jet it. That is why an older line gets a camera look before anyone decides how to clear it, not after.
Do I need a camera inspection before the drain is cleaned?
Not always. A first blockage with no history can be cleared with an auger. We run the camera first on any recurring blockage, on older pipe, and before any jetting. It shows whether the pipe is blocked or broken, and what the pipe can take.
Will hydro jetting get rid of tree roots for good?
No. An auger cuts them and restores flow for a season or three, but roots come back through the same opening, because the gap that let them in is still there. Removing them for good means repairing that joint, and the camera shows when it's time to do that instead of another clean.
Why does the same drain keep blocking?
A blockage that returns to the same place is usually something the cleaning did not remove: roots coming through an open joint, a sagged length where solids settle, or build-up narrowing the pipe from every side. Each leaves a different mark on camera, and the camera run is how we find which one a line has.
What does hydro jetting clear out of a line?
On a perimeter drain, the silt, leaves and sediment that settle along the run, and the fine roots that grow in at joints and perforations. It does not repair a broken, offset or sagging pipe, and we don't jet old clay or brittle cement tile. The camera shows which of those a line has.
Who has to clear a blocked drain on my property?
On the private side, it is usually the property owner's job. West Vancouver's Sewerage and Drainage Regulation Bylaw 5263 says the owner first arranges a plumber and notifies the municipality only where the blockage is in municipal works. Other municipalities set their own rules, so check the bylaw for your address.
How often should a drain line be cleaned?
A line with no history is cleaned when it shows a symptom, not on a calendar. Properties with mature trees or a history of root intrusion often benefit from planned cleaning, at an interval set from what the camera shows.
Reviewed
We find the cause before we quote the fix
Tell us the address and what you're seeing — a backup, a wet wall, a smell, a sinking lawn. We'll tell you what the next step is and what it costs, before anyone digs. Not sure yet? Ask us a question first.