CCTV drain surveys in London
A drain that blocks over and over. A smell around the garden that will not shift. A solicitor asking for a survey before a house purchase completes. Three different reasons for the same answer: a waterproof camera goes down the line and shows exactly what state the pipe is in — a collapse, roots growing in, a joint that has shifted out of line, or nothing at all. Either way, Ninja Plumbers hands you the footage and a written report to go with it.
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What this includes
- CCTV camera inspection of drains and sewers
- Recorded footage and a written report
- Pre-purchase drain surveys for house buyers
- Insurance claim surveys and evidence
- Locating the exact position and depth of a fault
- Root ingress, collapses and misaligned joints identified
Worth knowing first
A little of this might mean you do not need to call us at all — we would still rather you knew it.
A survey is diagnosis, not a fix
The camera tells you what is wrong and where. If it turns out to be a blockage, that is a separate job to clear it; if it is a collapsed section, that is an excavation and repair. We will quote the survey and the likely next step separately, since one does not commit you to the other.
Recurring blockages are usually structural
If the same drain blocks every few months despite clearing it properly each time, something is causing debris to catch — a root, a dip in the pipe, a partial collapse. A survey is what finds the actual cause instead of clearing the same symptom repeatedly.
Pre-purchase surveys are worth commissioning yourself
A survey the seller commissioned is not necessarily one you can rely on as independent. Getting your own done, particularly on a period property with old clay drains, is a small outlay next to the risk of finding a collapsed run only after you have already completed on the purchase.
The report is what an insurer or solicitor actually wants
A written report with timestamped, located footage is what gets accepted for an insurance claim or a house purchase — a verbal description of what was seen is not. We provide the report as standard, not as an extra.
What affects the price
A drain survey is priced on how much drain there is to inspect and how easily the camera can get into it, and on what the survey is for, since a buyer, an insurer and a homeowner with a recurring blockage need different things.
How many runs
A single run from one manhole to the boundary is a short survey. A whole property, front and back, with branches from the kitchen, bathrooms and rainwater gullies, takes longer to film, and longer to write up.
Where the camera goes in
An accessible manhole is the easiest way in. A cover that is buried, sealed or seized, or a drain that can only be reached through a toilet with the pan lifted off, adds work before the camera can go down.
Whether the pipe needs clearing first
The camera cannot see through standing water, fat or debris. If the drain is blocked or heavily fouled, it has to be jetted clean before a useful survey is possible, and that clearing is added to the job.
What the report is for
A homeowner chasing a recurring blockage may only need to know what and where. A buyer’s solicitor or an insurer usually wants every defect located and measured, the drain’s path traced and marked on the ground, and a fuller written report.
The price is agreed before any work starts. We take card and cash.
Common questions
How long does a survey take?
A single domestic run is usually under an hour. A full property survey with several runs, or a longer commercial line, takes longer.
Can you survey a drain I do not have easy access to?
Usually, through the nearest manhole or gully rather than needing to dig anything up first. If access genuinely is not possible, we will say so before charging for the visit.
Will I get to see the footage?
You will — the recording and the written report are both part of the survey itself, not something billed separately afterwards.
What if the survey finds a serious problem?
We will explain exactly what was found, whereabouts, and what fixing it would involve, and quote that as a separate job so you can decide with the full picture.
I am buying a house. How do I get access for a survey?
Ask the estate agent to arrange it with the seller, the same way your building surveyor gets in. We need to lift manhole covers front and back, and usually run taps and flush toilets inside to watch the flow, so the visit needs someone there to open up. Book it early in the conveyancing, so any findings can be raised before exchange rather than after.
Can the survey show whether a drain is mine or shared?
It helps a great deal. The camera shows where each pipe runs and where other properties’ drains join it, and a locator on the surface marks the line and depth. Whether a shared section is yours, a neighbour’s or the water company’s also depends on when it was built and where it connects to the public sewer, but the footage gives you the evidence to have that conversation.
More drainage work we take on
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Drain Unblocking
Sinks, toilets and outside drains cleared with proper equipment, not a bottle of chemicals.
More on Drain Unblocking -
Blocked Toilet
A toilet that will not flush away, or one that keeps blocking. Cleared, with the cause explained.
More on Blocked Toilet -
Drain Repairs
A drain that is actually broken, not just blocked — repaired by digging it up or, where the run allows, without digging at all.
More on Drain Repairs -
Surface Water Drainage
Rainwater with nowhere to go — standing water on patios, paths and gardens, given somewhere to drain.
More on Surface Water Drainage -
Gutter Repair
Blocked, leaking, sagging and overflowing gutters cleared and repaired, along with the downpipes below them.
More on Gutter Repair
Need CCTV drain surveys in London?
Describe the problem and give us your area, and we’ll tell you the price before anyone starts work.