If your stormwater pipe to the street is blocked or broken, you usually won’t know until heavy rain floods your courtyard. A CCTV drain inspection lets a plumber see inside the pipe with a small camera, without digging anything up. In the Inner West, the pipe from your property to the kerb is your responsibility, so it pays to know what condition it’s in.
A CCTV drain inspection is one of the most useful checks you can book for an older home. Here’s why stormwater problems stay hidden, what a camera can find, and when an inspection is worth it.
Sewer and stormwater are two separate systems
Most homes have two sets of underground pipes, and they do very different jobs.
Your sewer pipes carry wastewater from your basins, showers, sinks, and toilets to the Sydney Water main. When a sewer pipe blocks, you know about it fast. The overflow gully outside starts to bubble, the shower drains slowly, or the toilet won’t flush.
Your stormwater pipes carry rainwater from your downpipes, roof gutters, and surface drains out to the kerb or a council pit. When a stormwater pipe blocks, nothing happens on a dry day. You only find out when a storm hits and the water has nowhere to go.
The two systems must stay separate. Sydney Water lists downpipes connected to the sewer as one of the ways stormwater gets into the wastewater network, and it inspects private properties to find them. A camera inspection can show where each pipe actually goes.
What you’re responsible for
Many owners assume the council looks after drains. In most cases it doesn’t.
Inner West Council says property owners are responsible for stormwater outlets from their property to the kerb and gutter. Seepage water is the owner’s responsibility too.
It’s the same story underground for your sewer. Sydney Water says the owner is responsible for the private pipe up to the point where it connects to the Sydney Water system. That includes clearing tree roots that get into the junction at that connection point.
In short, if a pipe serves your property, it’s almost certainly yours to maintain, even where it runs under the footpath.
Why Inner West drains need checking
Old pipes and thirsty trees
Many Inner West terraces and cottages still have their original clay or terracotta drains. Burwood Council explains that the seals on old terracotta pipes wear away over time and let tree roots in. By contrast, roots can’t get into sealed, sound, and well-made PVC pipes.
Once roots find a gap, they grow inside the pipe and catch debris, leaves, and silt. Over time, a small crack becomes a full blockage, or the pipe collapses.
Flash flooding
Inner West storms arrive fast. Inner West Council describes flooding in the area as mostly flash flooding, which is sudden and unexpected, typically within six hours of the rain that causes it.
The council area is divided into nine main catchments. For example, parts of Annandale, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, and Stanmore drain to Whites Creek, while parts of Dulwich Hill, Lewisham, Petersham, and Summer Hill drain to Hawthorne Canal. When heavy rain falls, every property’s drains need to work at once. A blocked pipe means your water backs up into your yard instead.
Signs your stormwater drain has a problem
Look out for these, especially after heavy rain:
- downpipes overflowing at the joint near the ground
- gurgling from drains during rain
- puddles in the courtyard or side passage that take hours to drain
- soggy patches in the lawn or garden on dry days
- water appearing under the house or in the subfloor
- water barely trickling from your kerb outlet during a storm
Any of these suggests water isn’t getting away as it should. If the problem is up at roof level, such as overflowing gutters or box gutters, start with a roof plumbing check.
How a CCTV drain inspection works
A CCTV inspection is non-destructive. Nothing is dug up just to look. Here’s what usually happens:
- We find a way into the pipe, such as a downpipe, an inspection opening, or a surface pit.
- If the pipe is badly blocked, we clear it first, because a camera can’t see through a solid blockage or murky water.
- We push a small waterproof camera on a flexible cable along the pipe.
- We watch the live picture on a screen and record what we see.
- If we find a problem, we use a locator to mark its position and depth from the surface.
- We show you the footage and explain the options in plain English.
Because the problem is pinpointed from above, any repair can be targeted to one spot instead of digging up the whole yard.
What a camera can find
A camera inspection shows the real condition of the pipe, not a guess. It can reveal:
- blockages from debris, leaves, and silt
- collapsed or crushed sections
- cracks and broken pipe
- displaced joints, where pipe sections have shifted apart
- tree roots growing through joints
- wrong connections, such as a downpipe draining into the sewer
When to book a CCTV inspection
Prevention is cheaper than an emergency. We recommend an inspection:
- after a storm, if water pooled where it shouldn’t
- before buying an older home, so you know what you’re taking on
- before renovating, especially if new plumbing will connect to old drains
- when a drain keeps blocking, which points to damage rather than a simple blockage
- when you need evidence, such as for a dispute about tree roots
If your drains have never been checked and your home is more than a few decades old, a one-off baseline inspection is good value. It tells you whether you have years of trouble-free use ahead, or a problem to plan and budget for.
What happens after the inspection
The footage tells us what the right fix is, so you’re not paying for guesswork. Depending on what we find, the options include:
- clearing: removing debris, roots, or silt to restore flow, often the first step for a blocked drain
- pipe relining: creating a new inner lining inside a suitable existing pipe, often with little or no digging
- replacement: swapping a damaged section for new PVC pipe
- spot repair: fixing one damaged section, pinpointed by the camera
Sometimes the answer is that the pipe is in good shape. That’s worth knowing too.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CCTV drain inspection destructive?
No. The camera goes in through an existing opening, such as a downpipe, an inspection point, or a pit. Digging is only needed later if a repair calls for it, and the camera helps keep that to one spot.
Can a camera inspect both sewer and stormwater pipes?
Yes. A CCTV inspection works on both, and it’s also the best way to check whether sewer and stormwater pipes are connected where they should be.
Do I need an inspection if my drains seem fine?
Not always. If your pipes are newer PVC and have never given you trouble, a camera may not tell you much. For older homes with clay pipes, or before you buy or renovate, it’s money well spent.
Who pays if council tree roots block my drain?
Usually the owner, because the pipes are the owner’s to maintain. Councils generally don’t accept liability for roots from council trees entering private drains. Woollahra Council’s claims fact sheet, for example, asks for a plumber’s report on the pipe’s age, condition, and type before it will consider a claim. If you think a council tree has damaged your pipes, contact the council and keep the CCTV footage as evidence.
Book a CCTV drain inspection
Richard Knight Plumbing has been fixing Inner West drains from our base on Raper Street, Newtown, since 2005. We can inspect your sewer and stormwater lines, show you exactly what’s going on inside them, and recommend the simplest fix that will last.
We work Monday to Friday, 7 am to 5 pm, across all the suburbs on our service area page. Call 1300 300 941 or request a quote, and we’ll get back to you with clear advice and an obligation-free quote.