Phones answered 24/7. Open Mon to Sat, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Rooter-Man Plumbing of Tacoma runs video cameras through sewer lines in Tacoma, Puyallup and Lakewood. You see roots, cracks, sags and offsets for yourself, before you buy a home or pay for a repair.
At a glance
We feed a camera through a cleanout or drain and watch the screen with you. You get a flat price before we start, with no hidden fees. A $49 diagnostic fee applies and is waived when you approve the repair. A real person answers 24/7 to set it up.
$49
Diagnostic fee, waived when you approve the repair.
Flat rate
Your price, parts and labor included, before work begins.
24/7
A real person answers the phone.
Same day
Service on many jobs.
A sewer camera inspection is a video look inside your pipe. A small waterproof camera rides on a flexible cable down the line while we watch a screen. You see what we see. It turns a guess about your sewer line into a clear picture.
You do not need a backup to book a camera. These are the most common reasons South Sound homeowners and buyers ask us to look inside the line.
Want to see inside your sewer line before you decide anything? Call and a real person will help you book it, 24/7. Call (253) 600-1335
| Standard camera inspection | 1 to 2 hoursTypical, depends on cleanout access and line length. |
|---|---|
| Inspection with drain clearing | 2 to 4 hoursTypical when the line must be cleared first. |
| Locating a problem spot | 15 to 30 minutesTypical, added when we mark the spot in the yard. |
A real person answers 24/7. You get a flat-rate price before any work begins.
Camera inspections are priced up front, so you know the cost before we start. There are no hidden fees. If you approve a repair after the diagnosis, the $49 diagnostic fee is waived.
Tap the ones that apply to your home:
Tap any that sound like your home. Your technician sets a flat-rate price before any work begins.
Homes built before about 1960 in Tacoma's North End, Stadium District, Proctor and Hilltop often have clay or cast iron side sewers. On screen, clay joints may show root hair pushing in. Cast iron may show rust, scale or cracks along the bottom. Newer plastic lines usually look smooth, so trouble there tends to stand out.
Wet fall and winter weather in Puyallup, Lakewood and across the South Sound keeps soil soft. Over many years, shifting ground can cause a sag, where water pools, or an offset, where two pipe sections no longer line up. Both catch debris. Usually you own the side sewer to the main, so check with your sewer provider.
Pick your town for local details on sewer camera inspection near you.
It is a smart step, mostly for older Tacoma homes. Many houses built before about 1960 have clay or cast iron side sewers that can crack or fill with roots. A camera inspection shows the pipe's condition before you close, so you know what you are buying.
A sewer camera shows the inside of your pipe on a screen. In South Sound homes, it often finds tree roots in joints, cracks, rust and scale in cast iron, sags where water pools, and offsets where sections shift. It also shows how long and how deep the line runs.
In most cases the homeowner owns the side sewer, the pipe from the house to the public main. That means repairs on that stretch are usually yours to arrange. Rules vary, so check with your sewer provider. A camera inspection shows where your pipe ends and its condition.
A camera can find tree roots, cracks, breaks, sags where water collects, offsets where pipe sections shift, heavy grease and scale. It can also find things that do not belong, like wipes or toys. The video shows where each problem is so a repair can be planned.
A cleanout makes it much easier, since it gives a direct path into the sewer line. Without one, we may go in through a toilet flange or a roof vent. If your home has no cleanout, we can talk about installing one as part of a sewer repair.
Ask when you book and we will talk through what is available for your job. Either way, you watch the screen with us during the inspection, and we explain each part of the line as the camera moves through it.
Yes, that is the main point. The camera goes through an existing opening, so nothing is dug up to look. A locator above ground then finds the camera head, so we can mark the exact spot and depth of any problem in your yard.
No, it is a look, not a fix. But it often saves money because you only pay to repair what is actually wrong. After the inspection, we explain your options, from cleaning or hydro jetting to a sewer line repair, with a flat price first.
A working drain can still hide roots, cracks or a sag that will cause a backup later. A camera look is useful before you buy a home, before a remodel, or after repeat clogs. It helps you plan a repair on your terms, not during an emergency.
See all our plumbing services, or contact us about sewer camera inspection.
Call any hour and a real person answers. We are open Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and you get a flat-rate price before work begins.
