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CCTV Drain Surveys in Dorchester

Camera survey of the run, so decisions are made on what is actually there.

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What is a CCTV drain survey?

A CCTV drain survey is a recorded camera inspection of the inside of your drains, showing exactly what condition the pipes are in and where any faults sit.

A small waterproof camera with its own lights is pushed along the pipe from a manhole, gully or rodding point. The picture is watched live and recorded, and the distance travelled is logged, so every defect can be tied to a position in the run. Excavating to find a fault costs far more than looking first. A camera run tells you where the problem is, how bad it is and roughly how deep, which is the difference between a targeted repair and digging up a driveway hoping to get lucky.

What does a drain camera survey find?

A camera survey finds the faults you cannot see from the surface: cracks, fractures, root ingress, displaced or open joints, sags, collapses, deformed pipe and build-up of fat or scale.

It also shows things that explain a recurring problem:

  • Where a blockage keeps forming, and why, which is the real cause behind most repeat call-outs
  • Joints that have slipped, leaving a lip that catches paper and wipes
  • A section that dips and holds water
  • A pipe material that needs care, such as pitch fibre
  • Old connections that are no longer used, or ones nobody knew were there
  • Damage from earlier work, such as a later pipe driven through an older one

The survey records what it sees. It does not guess at what it cannot.

When is a drain survey worth booking?

A survey is worth booking when a drain keeps blocking, a smell will not go away, you are buying a property, or you are about to build near a drain.

Other good reasons include rats appearing indoors or in the garden, damp low down on a wall near a drain run, cracking that an insurer or surveyor has linked to drainage, and needing evidence for a claim or a dispute with a neighbour.

It is not always needed. A one-off toilet blockage that clears and stays clear rarely justifies one. Nor does a slow sink caused by a blocked trap. We would rather tell you that than sell you a survey you do not need, and we are happy to say so over the phone.

How does a CCTV drain survey work?

We lift the access covers, run the camera through each length of pipe we can reach, record what it sees, and then explain the findings to you.

  • We agree which runs are being surveyed and the price before starting.
  • We lift the chambers and note how they connect.
  • Where there is standing water or a blockage, the run is cleared first, because a camera under water or against a blockage shows nothing useful.
  • The camera is fed along each length, recording as it goes and stopping at every defect.
  • If a pipe needs tracing, a transmitter in the camera head can be followed from above with a locator, so we can mark the line and estimate its depth on the ground.
  • We talk you through what we found before we leave, and the footage and written findings follow.

What's included in a drain survey report?

You get the recorded footage and written findings: what was found, where it is, how serious it is and what the realistic options are.

Each defect is listed by its distance from the access point it was viewed from, so it can be found again by anyone who needs to. Each is described in plain terms rather than left as a code, and given a severity, from minor and worth monitoring to needing repair now. Where a repair is advised, the report says what kind, such as a patch liner, a full reline or excavation, and why.

The footage and findings are yours. You can pass them to a solicitor, an insurer, a seller or another contractor for a second opinion.

Do I need a drain survey when buying a house?

For many purchases, yes. A standard homebuyer survey does not put a camera into the drains, so their condition is usually unknown to both buyer and seller until something goes wrong.

A RICS Home Survey surveyor may lift accessible covers and look at the flow, but that shows the chamber, not the pipes between chambers. Drainage defects are expensive to put right, buried out of sight, and inherited in full by whoever owns the property next. A drain survey before exchange turns that unknown into a known. If the drains are sound, you have removed a risk. If they are not, you have evidence to negotiate with rather than a bill that arrives after you move in.

Which homes most need a pre-purchase drain survey?

A pre-purchase survey matters most where the property has older drains, nearby trees, a post-war pitch fibre system, an extension over a drain run, or shared drainage.

  • Older properties, where clay pipes and mortar joints have had longest to crack and shift
  • Homes with mature trees or large shrubs near the line of the drain, as roots seek out weak joints
  • Houses built roughly from the 1950s to the 1970s, which may have pitch fibre pipe
  • Extensions and conservatories, which are often built over or beside an existing run
  • Properties sharing a drain with neighbours, where one owner's use affects another
  • Any listing that mentions past drainage work or blockages

For a newer house with none of these features, the case is weaker, and we will say so.

When should I book a drain survey when buying, and who arranges it?

Book the survey once your offer is accepted and before exchange, leaving enough time for the findings to inform any renegotiation.

The buyer usually commissions and pays for it, because the report is for the buyer's benefit. The property still belongs to the seller, so you need their permission for someone to lift covers and run a camera. Ask through the estate agent, who will normally arrange access. A seller who refuses is entitled to, but it is worth noting.

Give us the address, the agent's details and any access notes when you book. If the property is empty, the agent may need to meet us there.

How to use drain survey findings when buying a house

Give the findings to your solicitor and use them to ask the seller to repair, reduce the price or adjust the terms before you exchange.

A defect with a location, a severity and a recommended repair is a firmer basis for negotiation than a general worry. Your solicitor's drainage and water search will show whether the property connects to the public sewer and whether a public sewer runs within the boundary. Read the two together. A public sewer under the garden can limit where you extend, and a shared run that turns out to be a public sewer is Wessex Water's to maintain, not yours. For a home in Dorchester, that search and a camera survey between them answer most of the drainage questions a buyer should ask.

How much does a CCTV drain survey cost?

The cost of a drain survey depends on how many runs there are to inspect, how easy they are to reach and whether anything needs clearing first. As a guide, a CCTV drain survey of a typical house costs £150 to £350. We agree a fixed price before the survey starts.

The price is driven by:

  • The size of the property and the number of chambers and runs
  • Whether covers are buried, sealed or painted over
  • Whether drains need clearing or cleaning before the camera can see
  • Whether you need the line traced and marked, or a drawn plan
  • Whether it is a pre-purchase survey needing a written report to a deadline

Should a blockage or anything else on the day alter the job, we pause, explain what has changed and settle a revised price with you before continuing.

What can't a CCTV survey tell you?

A camera survey shows the inside of the pipes it can reach on the day; it cannot see through the pipe wall, see past a total blockage, or predict exactly when a defect will fail.

It will not show the soil around a pipe, so a void beside a crack may be invisible. Depth readings from the surface are estimates, not exact measurements. Runs with no access point may not be reachable without opening one up. And a survey is a snapshot: a pipe that is sound today can still be damaged later by roots, building work or ground movement. Where any part of the drainage could not be surveyed, the report says so plainly rather than leaving you to assume it was fine.

Who is responsible for a fault the survey finds?

A fault in a pipe serving only your property and inside your boundary is yours to repair; a fault in a shared run or the public sewer is normally the water company's.

Since 1 October 2011, shared private sewers and the lateral drains connecting properties to the sewer have belonged to the water companies in England and Wales. Around Dorchester that means Wessex Water. The survey footage is often what settles which side of that line a defect falls. If you rent, structural drain repairs normally fall to the landlord. And if you plan to claim on buildings insurance, the insurer will usually want evidence of what failed, which the footage and findings provide.

What you can check yourself, and when not to wait

You can safely lift a light manhole cover to see whether the chamber is full or flowing, which tells us a lot before a survey; anything beyond that is best left alone.

Wear gloves, keep children and pets back, and do not climb into or reach deep into a chamber. Note which fittings are slow and when, take photos, and put the cover back securely. Do not try to push a garden hose or a borrowed camera down the pipe. A survey is not an emergency service, so if sewage is backing up inside or a chamber is overflowing, call to have the drain cleared first and surveyed afterwards. Once you know the drains are sound, keeping fat and wipes out of them is what keeps them that way.

Covering Dorchester & the local area

We provide cctv drain surveys throughout Charminster, Martinstown, Crossways, Puddletown, Broadmayne, Poundbury and the surrounding area. Call 0330 133 1625 for a free, no-obligation quote.

How it works

Simple, transparent process

  1. 1

    Tell us what’s happening

    Call and describe what you’re seeing — a slow sink, a gurgle, a smell or standing water. It usually tells us a lot before we arrive.

  2. 2

    We find the cause

    We clear enough to get flow back, then work out why it blocked — because a drain that blocks twice has a reason.

  3. 3

    A price before the work

    If it needs more than a clear — a repair, a lining, a survey — you get the price and the reason before we start it.

  4. 4

    You see the evidence

    Where we survey, you get the footage. Where we repair, you see the before and after.

Don't let it get worse

Get expert help right now

Tell us what the drain is doing and we will explain what is likely causing it and what the work involves.

Call 24/70330 133 1625

Other services

Emergency Unblocking

A drain that has stopped completely, water backing up or sewage escaping — the jobs that cannot wait until Monday.

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Blocked Sinks

Kitchen sinks, basins, baths and showers draining slowly or not at all.

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Drain Cleaning

Clearing build-up before it becomes a blockage — for properties that keep having the same problem.

Learn more

CCTV Drain Surveys: common questions

How long does a CCTV drain survey take on site?
A typical house with a few chambers is usually surveyed within a single visit of a few hours. Larger properties, long runs, covers that need freeing, or drains that must be cleared before the camera can see all add time. Tracing and marking the line on the ground takes a little longer again. We will give you a realistic estimate once we know the property and what you need the survey for.
Does someone need to be home for a drain survey?
Not always. If every access point is outside and reachable, we may be able to survey without anyone indoors, though running taps and flushing toilets helps show which pipe serves what. Where access is through an internal cover or a rodding eye, someone needs to let us in. For a pre-purchase survey, the estate agent or seller usually handles access. We agree this with you when you book.
Can you survey a drain that is blocked?
Not usefully until it is cleared. A camera pushed into standing water or against a blockage records very little, and the defect that caused the blockage is usually hidden behind it. We clear the run first, then survey. If we discover a blockage only once we are on site, we stop, explain what clearing involves, and agree the cost with you before doing it.
Can you survey drains under concrete, a driveway or the house?
Yes. What sits above the pipe makes no difference to the camera inside it: a driveway, a patio, an extension or the house itself. What matters is having an access point to put the camera in, such as a manhole, rodding eye or gully. Where a run has no access at all, we will tell you what opening one up would involve before doing anything.
Can a drain survey show where rats are getting in?
Often, yes. Rats move through drains and get out through defects such as broken pipes, open joints, redundant connections that were never capped and damaged chambers. A camera survey can show those openings and where they sit, which is the information a pest controller or a repair needs. It will not show a rat route that has nothing to do with the drains, such as a gap in a wall or under a door.
Is a drain survey worth it on a new-build property?
It can be. New drains can be left with building debris, mortar or concrete in the pipe, poorly made joints or runs laid without enough fall. These are much easier to raise with the builder while the property is new and under its warranty period than years later. If you have had blockages, slow drainage or smells in a new home, a survey gives you evidence to put to the developer.
Do I need a CCTV survey for a build-over agreement?
If you plan to build over or within 3 metres of a public sewer, you need the sewerage company's agreement first, which here means Wessex Water. They may ask for a CCTV survey of the sewer before work starts and again after it finishes, to show its condition was not affected. Because many shared drains became public sewers in 2011, this applies to more extensions than people expect.
What is a pitch fibre pipe?
Pitch fibre is drainage pipe made from wood fibre soaked in bitumen, used in many homes built roughly from the 1950s to the 1970s. It was light and cheap to lay, but with age it can blister, flake and lose its round shape under ground pressure. On a survey it looks quite different from clay or plastic. Deformed pitch fibre can sometimes be re-rounded and lined; badly collapsed sections need replacing.
Will my insurer pay for a drain survey?
Sometimes. Some buildings policies pay for investigation when it leads to an accepted claim, such as accidental damage to an underground pipe, though cover for pipes that have simply aged is often excluded. Check your policy wording or call the insurer before booking, and ask whether they want to appoint their own contractor. If you go ahead yourself, the footage and findings give them the evidence they will want to see.
What is the difference between a drain survey and drain mapping?
A CCTV survey looks at the condition of the inside of the pipes. Drain mapping records the route, depth and connections of each pipe and turns that into a plan. The two often happen together, since the camera can be tracked from above while it inspects. If you need to know what state the drains are in, you need a survey; if you need to know where they go, you need mapping.
Do I have to use you for the repair if the survey finds a fault?
No. The survey stands on its own, and the footage and findings are yours to take wherever you like. If you want a price from us for the repair, we will give you one and explain why we recommend that method. If you would rather get a second opinion or a competing quote, the recording lets another contractor see exactly what we saw without having to survey again.