- Leaks don't stand a chance.
Sewer Camera Inspection in Gainesville, FL
Stop guessing about what is happening inside your pipes.
Rather text? Send a photo of the problem to 352-377-9447 and we’ll tell you what it sounds like.
Licensed Florida Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748
Florida certified plumbing contractor license. You watch the monitor with us and you get the footage. Book an inspection online.
Service fee to come out, waived on larger jobs.
$
69
Typical time for a straightforward camera inspection.
Under
1
hr
Common service life of cast iron drain lines in Florida.
40 to
60
yrs
What is a sewer camera inspection?
A sewer camera inspection sends a waterproof camera on a flexible cable through your drain line so a plumber can see the inside of the pipe on a live monitor. It finds roots, cracks, bellies, scale, and collapsed sections without digging. A sewer camera inspection in Gainesville usually takes under an hour, and you see the same screen we do.
- The problem
Why does my drain keep backing up after it was already cleared?
Because clearing a clog and fixing the reason for the clog are two different things. A cable will punch a hole through a blockage and get your water moving again. It will not tell you that a root came through a joint eight feet past the cleanout, or that a length of old cast iron has scaled down to half its opening, or that a section of pipe has settled into a low spot that holds water and catches everything you send down it.
So the drain runs fine for a few weeks. Then it backs up again. Then somebody tells you the line needs to be replaced, hands you a five figure number, and you have no way to check whether that is true.
That is the part that bothers us. You should not have to take anybody’s word for what is inside your own pipe, and you should not be spending serious money on a guess. A camera turns the whole thing from an argument into a picture. Either there is a root in the line or there is not. Either the pipe is broken or it is not. Once everyone is looking at the same footage, the conversation gets a lot shorter and a lot more honest.
If your line is backing up right now and you need water moving today, start here instead.
- What it costs
How much does a sewer camera inspection cost?
Our service fee is $69 to come out, and it is waived on larger jobs. The camera work itself gets quoted before we start, and you approve the number before anything happens. No surprise line items and no charging you to find out what the price is.
Nationally, camera inspections commonly run somewhere in the low hundreds, and the two things that move the price are how long the line is and whether there is an accessible cleanout. If we have a cleanout, we are in and out. If there is no cleanout, we have to pull a toilet or get access another way, and that adds time.
If the camera turns into a hunt for a hidden leak rather than a look at a drain line, that is a different service with its own flat price and its own guarantee.
- $69 service fee
- Service fee to come out, waived on larger jobs. Camera work quoted before we start.
- Under 1 hour
- Typical time for a straightforward camera inspection with an accessible cleanout.
- Meet the owner
Who is running the camera
First Choice Plumbing is Will Harrod, Florida certified plumbing contractor CFC1430748, Mike on service and drains, Ben helping, and Kim on the phone and dispatch. That is the whole company, on purpose.
Will still runs the estimates himself. If somebody tells you a line has to come out, you can ask the owner why, and he will pull up the footage and show you. We would rather be the company you call for the next twenty years than the company that sold you one big job.
- Will Harrod, owner. Florida certified plumbing contractor CFC1430748. Still runs the estimates himself.
- Mike on service and drains, with Ben helping.
- Kim on the phone and dispatch.
- What the camera finds
What can a sewer camera see?
Roots
Roots find any crack or loose joint and grow toward the water. On the screen they look like a beard hanging into the pipe. We can tell you how far in they are and whether the joint they came through is still solid.
Scale and buildup in cast iron
Old cast iron corrodes from the inside out. A four inch pipe can close down to two inches of usable opening. The camera shows the rough, flaking interior that keeps catching paper and grease.
Cracks, breaks, and offset joints
Shifting sandy soil moves pipe. The camera shows separated joints, hairline cracks, and full breaks, and it shows soil where soil should not be.
Bellies and low spots
A section that has settled holds standing water. You will see the water line on camera. Bellies are the reason a line that was just cleared clogs again in the same spot.
Blockages that are not what you think
Grease, wipes, a kid’s toy, a collapsed section, or the end of somebody’s old repair. Knowing which one changes the fix and the price.
Where the line runs and roughly how deep
We can locate the camera head from above ground and mark the path in your yard, which matters before anybody digs, pours a slab, or plants a tree.
Older cast iron under a Gainesville slab is its own conversation. Cast iron pipe lining
- Signs you should camera the line
When do you need a sewer camera inspection?
Call us if any of this sounds like your house:
- The same drain has backed up more than once in the last year.
- More than one fixture is slow at the same time, which usually points at the main line and not the fixture.
- You hear gurgling in a tub or toilet when the washer drains.
- Your house was built before 1975 and still has its original cast iron drains.
- You are buying a home and want to know what is under the slab before you close.
- You have a large tree between the house and the street.
- A plumber quoted you a sewer replacement and never showed you why.
- You are about to pour a driveway, add on, or plant something and need the line marked first.
Not ready to book? Read what a full sewer repair involves first.
- Cast iron and Gainesville housing stock
Why do so many Gainesville homes need this?
Because of when they were built and what they were built with. A lot of Gainesville’s housing went up in the 1960s and 1970s, and cast iron was the standard drain material in Florida from the 1940s into the early 1980s. Cast iron corrodes from the inside, and forty to sixty years is about the life people plan around. That means a large share of houses inside the city, in the older neighborhoods around the Duckpond, Hibiscus Park, and the Golfview era streets, are sitting right at the end of that window.
Add Florida construction to it.
Out in Hawthorne, Melrose, Micanopy, Waldo, and the rural stretches of east Alachua County, the same camera work also tells us where a line runs before anybody digs near a septic tank or a drain field.
Slab on grade
Most homes here are slab on grade, so the drain lines run under concrete instead of through a basement where you could look at them.
Sand, water table, roots
Sandy soil shifts, the water table is high, and roots chase moisture.
No way to eyeball it
There is no way to eyeball a pipe you cannot reach, which is exactly why the camera matters more here than it does in a lot of the country.
Original cast iron
Cast iron was the standard drain material in Florida from the 1940s into the early 1980s, and it corrodes from the inside.
- Buying a house? Scope it first
Do I need a sewer scope before I buy a house?
On an older Gainesville home, yes. A standard home inspection does not put a camera in the drain line. The inspector runs water, watches it go down, and moves on. That tells you the line is open today. It does not tell you the line is scaled, cracked, root filled, or holding water eight feet out.
This is the one inspection where the math is not close. A sewer scope is a few hundred dollars. Replacing or lining a failed drain line under a slab is thousands, and it is a conversation you would much rather have while you still have negotiating room than three months after closing.
We will run the camera, show you the footage, and tell you plainly what we see. If the line looks good, we will say so and you can go buy your house. If it does not, you will have something real to take back to the table. Book a Sewer Scope
- What to expect
How the inspection works
Call or book, and tell us what the drain is doing.
Kim answers the phone and gets the details. We batch jobs by area, so a Hawthorne call and a Gainesville call are not fighting each other for the same truck.
We camera the line and you watch with us.
We find the cleanout, feed the camera, and walk the line on the monitor. You see what we see, in real time, and we stop and explain anything worth stopping on.
You get a straight diagnosis and options, not a sales pitch.
Sometimes the answer is a clearing and you are done. Sometimes it is descaling, a spot repair, or lining. We tell you which one it is and what each one costs.
- The difference
The Difference Is in the Details
| What matters | First Choice Plumbing | Typical franchise or big name drain company |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing the footage | You watch the monitor with us while the camera runs, and you get the footage | Findings described to you after the fact, video often kept in house |
| Published pricing | $69 service fee stated on the site, waived on larger jobs, work quoted before it starts | No price published anywhere, quote given at the door |
| Who shows up | A small local crew, and the owner still runs estimates himself | Rotating tech on a commission sheet you never see |
| What happens after the camera | Clearing, descaling, spot repair, lining, or full replacement, all under one roof | Clearing only, then a referral out for the actual repair |
| Options offered | Trenchless lining presented alongside replacement so cutting up the house is not the only path | Dig and replace as the default recommendation |
| Cleanup | We patch every hole we cut, using a professional drywall contractor | Holes left for you to hire out |
| Warranty | Two year parts and labor, with manufacturer warranty on top | One year or shorter, often labor only |
Licensed Florida plumbing contractor CFC1430748. Two year parts and labor warranty on our work.
What we do once we know what is wrong
Drain clearing
If it is a clog and the pipe underneath is sound, we clear it and you are done. That is the cheapest answer and we will tell you when it is the right one.
Drain cleaning and descaling
When cast iron has scaled down, a machine with chains and diamond bits mills the interior back open. This is a job, not a service call, and it usually runs a day or two.
Trenchless lining
A cured liner rebuilds the pipe from the inside, no trench through your slab or your yard. We are a NuFlow certified contractor and this is often the difference between a repair and a demolition.
Sewer line repair or replacement
When a section is broken, offset, or collapsed, we dig the spot that needs digging and put it back right.
- Questions
Sewer camera inspection questions we get
Usually under an hour when there is an accessible cleanout. Longer lines, no cleanout, or a line that has to be cleared before the camera can pass will add time. We will tell you before we start if we think it is going to run long.
It is the easiest access point, but it is not the only one. Without a cleanout we can often go through a pulled toilet or a roof vent. If your home has no cleanout at all, we will point that out, because adding one makes every future service call cheaper.
Yes. You watch the monitor with us while the camera is running, and we stop on anything worth stopping on. Ask and we will get you the footage for your records, your insurance file, or your real estate agent.
Not usually. A camera needs an open pipe to travel. If the line is blocked we clear it first, then run the camera, and that order actually helps because you get to see what was behind the clog.
Yes. The camera head sends a signal we can pick up from above ground, so we can trace the path and mark it in your yard, plus give you a rough depth. Do that before you dig, pour, or plant anything over the line.
For a newer PVC line with no history of trouble, only when something changes. For a pre 1975 home with original cast iron, or a lot with big trees, checking every few years is reasonable and it is a lot cheaper than finding out the hard way.
A standard home inspection does not include a camera in the drain line. A sewer scope is a separate service, and on an older Florida home it is the one add on worth paying for before you close.
Then we tell you it is fine and you go on with your day. We would rather charge you for an hour and be honest than sell you a repair you do not need. That is how we end up on the next job.
- Questions
Sewer camera inspection questions we get
Usually under an hour when there is an accessible cleanout. Longer lines, no cleanout, or a line that has to be cleared before the camera can pass will add time. We will tell you before we start if we think it is going to run long.
It is the easiest access point, but it is not the only one. Without a cleanout we can often go through a pulled toilet or a roof vent. If your home has no cleanout at all, we will point that out, because adding one makes every future service call cheaper.
Yes. You watch the monitor with us while the camera is running, and we stop on anything worth stopping on. Ask and we will get you the footage for your records, your insurance file, or your real estate agent.
Not usually. A camera needs an open pipe to travel. If the line is blocked we clear it first, then run the camera, and that order actually helps because you get to see what was behind the clog.
Yes. The camera head sends a signal we can pick up from above ground, so we can trace the path and mark it in your yard, plus give you a rough depth. Do that before you dig, pour, or plant anything over the line.
For a newer PVC line with no history of trouble, only when something changes. For a pre 1975 home with original cast iron, or a lot with big trees, checking every few years is reasonable and it is a lot cheaper than finding out the hard way.
A standard home inspection does not include a camera in the drain line. A sewer scope is a separate service, and on an older Florida home it is the one add on worth paying for before you close.
Then we tell you it is fine and you go on with your day. We would rather charge you for an hour and be honest than sell you a repair you do not need. That is how we end up on the next job.
Drain clearing
If it is a clog and the pipe underneath is sound, we clear it and you are done. That is the cheapest answer and we will tell you when it is the right one.
Drain cleaning and descaling
When cast iron has scaled down, a machine with chains and diamond bits mills the interior back open. This is a job, not a service call, and it usually runs a day or two.
Trenchless lining
A cured liner rebuilds the pipe from the inside, no trench through your slab or your yard. We are a NuFlow certified contractor and this is often the difference between a repair and a demolition.
Sewer line repair or replacement
When a section is broken, offset, or collapsed, we dig the spot that needs digging and put it back right.
- Where we work
Where we run cameras
Gainesville, Hawthorne, Newberry, Jonesville, Alachua, High Springs, Archer, Micanopy, Waldo, Melrose, Keystone Heights, Interlachen, Windsor, Williston, and the rest of Alachua County.
Rural property on a well and septic gets the same camera and the same explanation as a house in town.
Don’t see your town? We likely still come out — call 352-377-9447
- Stop guessing
Stop guessing. Put a camera in it.
One hour and a monitor will tell you more about your drain line than three opinions ever will. We will show you exactly what is in there, tell you what it takes to fix it, and let you decide with the same information we have.
Book an Inspection Online. Text the same number if that is easier.
Leaks don’t stand a chance.
- Leaks don't stand a chance.
Tell us what's going on and we'll take it from there
You get a real person, a $69 visit, a flat price before we start, and a company that patches what it cuts and answers the phone when you call back. If a smaller fix is the right call, we’ll tell you that too.
First Choice Plumbing is a locally owned, owner led plumbing company working Gainesville, Hawthorne and Greater Alachua County. Leak detection, repipes, water heaters, drains, trenchless lining, well water filtration and septic. We find it, we fix it, we guarantee it.
Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1430748
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First Choice Plumbing
6940 SE 221st St
Hawthorne, FL 32640 - Office Mon to Fri, 8 to 5. Emergency line 24/7.
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