Everyone says you need a pro for a sewer line scope, but my $50 camera saved me a huge bill

So my basement drain in my Ohio City house was backing up again, and all the posts here said to call a plumber for a camera inspection. They wanted like $400 just to look. I was fed up, so I bought one of those cheap inspection cameras on Amazon for $50 that plugs into your phone. I pushed it down the cleanout myself and saw the problem clear as day, a root about 15 feet out. I showed the video to a plumber, he gave me a quote just for the root clearing, and I saved over $300 on the spot. People act like you need a $10,000 machine, but for a simple look, this thing did the job. It took me maybe 20 minutes to figure out. Has anyone else tried a DIY scope before calling in the big guns, or am I just lucky?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_amy13d ago

Glad it worked for you this time, but that's a huge gamble. Pushing a cheap camera down a line you don't fully understand could cause a blockage or damage the pipe. You also have no real idea what you're looking at, a pro knows all the failure points and codes. Saving $300 sounds great until you make a $5,000 mistake because you missed a crack or a belly in the line. Sometimes the expensive machine and the trained eyes are what you're actually paying for.

dianaanderson12d ago

Well, there goes my plan to start a side hustle called "Drain Scopes 'R' Us" out of my garage. Guess the training and the five-figure camera are a bit of a barrier to entry.

emery_white12d ago

Okay but hold up, @the_amy, I feel like you're assuming a total lack of common sense. I mean, if you're just careful and go slow, a basic camera isn't gonna wreck your pipes. It's not like we're shoving a garden hose down there. And for a simple clog check, you can often spot the obvious problem yourself. Sure, a pro sees more, but sometimes you just need to see if there's a toy car or roots right at the cleanout. It's not always about skipping the pro forever, just checking before you panic and call them.

rubyshah12d ago

Cheap cameras are a great first look before you call the pros.