CCTV Drain Camera
Inspection in Rustenburg
Drain camera inspection in Rustenburg puts a CCTV camera inside the pipe before anyone digs. In a town whose sewers still include old clay and asbestos pipe, roots, a dropped joint and a broken length all look alike from above: a drain that keeps blocking. If the line is full, drain unblocking comes first.
Request a call-out
Ask for a camera inspection
Say which drain keeps blocking, or what you need checked. A plumber calls you back to arrange it.
What a drain camera shows that rods cannot
From the surface, every one of them looks like a drain that will not stay clear.
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Roots at the joints
Fine roots get in where two lengths of pipe meet and grow into a mat that catches paper. The camera shows which joint, and how far along.
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Dropped or offset joints
Where one length has sunk below the next, a lip forms that catches waste. Rods clear the waste, but the lip stays.
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Cracked or collapsed pipe
A broken section lets soil in and water out. The picture shows whether one length or a whole run needs replacing.
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Lost manholes and eyes
Paving, slabs and extensions bury them. Following the line on camera, with the distance counted, leads to where it turns or joins.
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Checks before you buy
An old house can look perfect above ground. A camera run along the main line shows the state of the drains you are about to own.
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Evidence for an insurer
An assessor wants to know what caused the damage. Pictures of the fault, with its distance marked, answer that better than a description.
Rustenburg gets help from the air to spot sewer overflows
Rustenburg's sewer network still has old clay and asbestos pipes, and the municipality says they cause "a high volume of sewer blockages". Keeping track of where sewage spills across a whole municipality is hard. Its IDP for 2025/26 mentions help from "the Flight Club that keep an eye on hot spots during their flight sessions".
An overflow on the surface can be seen from above. What caused it cannot. A root mass at a joint, a length of clay pipe that has dropped, or a crack letting soil in are all underground, and they show up the same way: a drain that will not stay clear.
Not every property drains to the municipal sewer at all. The same IDP lists "areas which are still using septic tanks", among them villages under the Royal Bafokeng Nation and places on the outskirts without bulk sewer services, such as Donkerhoek, Rietvlei, Olifantsnek and Kroondal. There, the line runs from the house to a tank, and all of it is the owner's to look after.
Rods and high-pressure water clear what is caught in a pipe, but they do not show why it was caught. A camera inspection should leave you knowing what is wrong and where. You should be able to watch the screen as the camera travels from the gully, inspection eye or manhole, and each fault should be read off with its distance from that entry point, so a repair means one hole in the right place, not a trench. Ask before the inspection whether you will get the recording and a written summary, because an insurer or a buyer will want to see both.
It is worth doing when a drain blocks again within weeks of being cleared, when roots are suspected, or when an old clay line has started to smell or sink. It also settles questions nobody can answer from above, such as where a manhole went when the paving was laid. If the line is full, it is cleared first with drain unblocking, because a camera cannot see through standing water.
If the same drain has been cleared twice in a year, ask for a camera before the third clearing. Knowing which joint failed tells you whether you need a small repair or a new length of pipe.
What a camera inspection should leave you with
They are what makes an inspection worth paying for. Ask for all four.
The price before the camera goes in
You hear the call-out fee on the phone, before anyone drives out. The inspection price, and the price of clearing the line first if it is full, are written down before work starts.
The screen in front of you
You can stand at the screen while the camera travels and ask about anything you see. Nothing is described to you that you have not been shown.
A distance for every fault
Each fault is logged with how far it lies from the entry point, so any repair starts with one hole in the right place.
A record you can keep
Ask before the inspection whether you will get the recording and a written summary. If you are claiming, keep both for the assessor.
How a camera inspection is arranged
Send the form first. The plumber phones you to ask about the drain and book the inspection.
What you do
- Send the call-out form
Say which drain is blocking and how often it has been cleared before.
- Answer the plumber's call
Mention old drain plans, extensions built over the line and big trees near it.
- Show the way in
Point out the gully, inspection eyes or manholes if you know where they are. Do not lift heavy covers yourself.
What the plumber does
- Clear the line if it is full
Standing water hides everything, so a blocked line is unblocked before the camera goes in.
- Run the camera
In through a gully, an eye or a manhole, along the line toward the municipal connection or the septic tank.
- Log every fault
Roots, joints and breaks are noted with their distance from the entry point.
- Show you on screen
You see what the camera found and hear what it means for the pipe.
- Report and quote
A written summary, and a quote for any repair, before any digging is agreed.
What people ask about drain cameras
If yours is not here, write it in the call-back form. It gets answered on the call.
What does a drain camera inspection cost in Rustenburg?
It depends on how long the line is, how easy it is to get the camera in, and whether the drain has to be cleared first. Published prices for drain camera work are hard to find, so ask for the inspection price in writing before the camera goes in. The call-out fee is given on the phone. See plumbing prices for the rates Rustenburg directories list.
How do I know if tree roots are in my drain pipe?
The usual signs are a drain that blocks again within weeks of being cleared, and root fibres on the rods when it is cleared. Large trees close to the line make roots more likely, especially along old clay pipe with its many joints. Only a camera confirms it, and shows which joint the roots come through.
Can I see the camera footage and keep a copy for my insurer?
You should be able to watch the screen while the camera travels, and that is worth insisting on. Whether you get a copy of the recording, and in what form, is worth asking before the inspection is booked, so there is no surprise afterwards. For a claim, an assessor will want the recording or still pictures, the distance to each fault and a written note of the cause.
My drain was unblocked a week ago and it's blocked again. What's wrong?
Something in the pipe is catching waste, and the first clearing removed the blockage but not the reason for it. The usual reasons are roots at a joint, a dropped joint with a lip, or a broken section letting soil in. A camera run once the line is clear shows which it is, so the next visit fixes the fault. See drain unblocking for how the line is cleared first.
Can the camera find where the pipe is broken without digging?
Yes, to within a short distance. The camera measures how far it has travelled from the entry point, so the break can be measured out along the line on the surface. Some camera heads carry a transmitter that a locator picks up from above, which pins the spot more closely, so ask whether that will be used on your job. Either way, the digging is one hole at the fault instead of a trench to find it.
Can you find our drain or manhole when nobody knows where it is?
Usually, yes. The camera goes in at an opening you can see, such as a gully or an inspection eye, and follows the line to the junction or the buried manhole, with the distance recorded. That narrows the search to a small patch of paving or lawn. If a cover has been built over, the report says where it is so it can be raised.
Who pays to fix tree roots in the drain, me or the insurance?
That depends on your policy. Some policies treat root damage as gradual wear, which is excluded, while others cover a sudden break and the damage it causes. Read your schedule or ask your broker before you assume either way. If you do claim, the recording and a written note of the cause are what the assessor will ask for.
Should I get a drain camera inspection before buying a house?
It is worth it for an older house, a house with big trees near the drains, or one where the seller admits to past blockages. A camera run along the main line shows the condition of a pipe you cannot see at a viewing. In areas the municipality lists as still on septic tanks, such as Kroondal and Olifantsnek, the run can include the line to the tank. Arrange it with the seller's permission before the offer is final, so anything found can be part of the deal.
Ask for a call back
Leave your number and the best time to reach you. A plumber phones, asks what is happening and books the visit.
Call-back request
Where we work
Every suburb of Rustenburg and the villages and mining towns around it.
- Rustenburg CBD
- East End (Oos-Einde)
- Rustenburg North
- Zinniaville
- Karlienpark
- Geelhoutpark
- Protea Park
- Safari Gardens
- Cashan
- Boschdal
- Waterfall East
- Azalea Park
- Waterkloof
- Tlhabane
- Tlhabane West
- Boitekong
- Meriting
- Seraleng
- Paardekraal
- Sunrise Park
- Freedom Park
- Kanana
- Phokeng
- Luka
- Kroondal
- Photsaneng
- Mfidikwe
- Marikana
- Bethanie
- Olifantsnek
Not on the list? Put your area in the form and we will tell you straight if it is too far.