MAMBA DRAINAGE SERVICES
Video Drain Inspection Vancouver
Buying a house? Selling one? Drain that clogs over and over? Scope it on camera before you spend - or before someone spends on yours.
HD sewer camera, written report, MP4 footage emailed same-day. Greater Vancouver coverage. Call (778) 961-0824.
Why Vancouver Buyers Should Always Scope the Sewer
The average detached home in Vancouver sells for $2.1M. A failed sewer lateral can cost $12,000-$28,000 to replace. A failed perimeter drain (drain tile) costs $14,000-$45,000. Yet most home inspections in BC do not include camera scope of the sewer or drain tile – inspectors flag visible plumbing only, not what’s buried.
That’s the gap that bites buyers six months after closing, when the upstairs bathroom backs up the first time and a camera shows tree roots invading a cracked clay-tile lateral. By then the seller is gone, the home inspector’s coverage cap was $500, and the homeowner is paying out of pocket.
A pre-purchase sewer scope is the cheapest insurance policy in real estate. We push a HD camera from your cleanout (or pull a toilet and access from the closet flange), run the full length of the lateral to the property line, record everything in 1080p, and email you the MP4 plus written report the same day. Cost: $189-$329 depending on access. Versus an unknown $20,000 problem.
We also scope perimeter drain (drain tile) systems through the cleanout at the corner of the foundation. Same camera, same recording, same report – shows if the tile is broken, root-invaded, collapsed, or full of silt.
What the Camera Sees - HD Image, Locating Wand, Distance Counter
Our camera is a Spartan Tool SeeSnake monitor system with a 200-foot reel. The camera head is 1.25″ diameter for residential lines, with a 360-degree lens and on-screen distance counter that tells you exactly how far down the pipe the issue is.
A locating wand on top of the camera transmits a radio signal we pick up on a Ridgid SR-24 receiver above ground. So when we find a crack at 47 feet, we walk the lawn, find where the camera sits, and mark it with paint. If you’re scoping for a repair quote, that mark tells the next plumber exactly where to dig.
Everything is recorded in 1080p HD with audio narration from our technician. You see the pipe interior, the technician explains what’s normal vs. what’s a problem, and the distance counter is on every frame. Written report goes out the same day with screenshots of every issue marked by distance, with suggested next steps.
We don’t sell scopes that we then quote a repair on without giving you a choice. Our scope and our repair-quote are decoupled. You get the footage either way – if you want to get a second opinion on the repair quote, you have the camera evidence to share.
When to Scope - Beyond Pre-Purchase
Pre-purchase is the obvious one. But scopes pay for themselves in other situations too.
Drain backs up twice in a year, same fixture? A scope finds the structural cause – belly, offset, root – that a snake won’t fix. Call us first; we scope before recommending any repair direction.
Selling your house in East Vancouver, Mount Pleasant, or any pre-1970 neighborhood? A clean-bill-of-health scope report in the listing package gives buyers confidence and can shave a week off close. Cost is far less than the discount a savvy buyer will negotiate without it.
Post-repair verification: after we finish a hydrojet, trenchless repair, or pipe replacement, we run a final camera pass and email you the after-footage. Standard practice for us; not standard for most plumbers.
Insurance claims: if you’re documenting a flood event for an insurance file, a same-day camera scope dated and recorded proves cause-and-condition for the adjuster.
Perimeter drain (drain tile) inspection: separate from sewer scope. Camera goes in at the corner cleanout, runs the perimeter, finds breaks, root intrusion, and collapse.
Camera Inspection Services We Offer
Pre-Purchase Sewer Scope
Real estate transaction scope. Camera the lateral from cleanout to property line, document condition, deliver written report and MP4 same day. Bring it to your offer negotiation. Typical: $189-$329 depending on access. Cheaper than any home inspection upcharge.
Diagnostic Drain Scope
Drain backs up twice at the same fixture, you want to know why before paying for another snake. Camera scope from the most-accessible cleanout, identify cause by distance, written diagnosis with suggested fix options. $189-$249 typical.
Perimeter Drain (Drain Tile) Inspection
Separate from sewer scope. Camera goes in through the foundation corner cleanout, runs the perimeter of the foundation, identifies breaks, root intrusion, collapse, or sediment buildup. Critical before finishing a basement. $229-$389 typical.
Post-Repair Verification
After any major drain or pipe repair, a verification scope proves the work is done correctly. Standard practice on every Mamba hydrojet, trenchless repair, and pipe replacement – no extra charge. For third-party verification of someone else’s work: $169-$249.
Pipe Locating with Sonde
Sometimes you need to know exactly where the pipe runs – before landscaping, before digging a footing, before building an addition. We push the camera with a sonde transmitter, then locate above ground with a Ridgid receiver. Mark the run with paint, depth-estimate at intervals. $189-$289 depending on length.
Insurance Documentation Scope
Flood or backup event, need documentation for the insurance file. Same-day scope, dated and time-stamped MP4, written report with adjustor-ready language describing cause and condition. We’ve completed dozens of these for adjustors at Aviva, Intact, BCAA, and Wawanesa.
Why Vancouver Buyers and Owners Choose Mamba
Camera Decoupled from Repair Quote
Many plumbers run a free scope and pressure you into their repair quote on the spot. We charge a flat scope fee, deliver the footage, and let you decide what to do with it. Get other quotes if you want – the camera evidence is yours.
Same-Day MP4 + Written Report
Footage emailed to you within 4 hours of leaving your property, with written report identifying every issue by distance and suggested fix options. Useable for offer negotiation, insurance claims, or your future buyer.
Real Estate Agent References
We’re on the call list for several Realtors across Kerrisdale, Mount Pleasant, and East Van offices for pre-listing and pre-purchase scopes. References available on request.
Quick Turn for Subject Removal
Subject removal deadlines wait for no one. We can usually scope a Vancouver property within 24-48 hours of booking, with the report in hand same day. Saturday and Sunday appointments available for time-pressured offers.
Vancouver Camera Inspection Price Ranges
Recent Vancouver inspection job brackets:
Pre-purchase sewer scope (lateral from cleanout to property line): $189-$329 including HD footage and written report. Add $89 if cleanout is missing and toilet pull is needed.
Diagnostic scope for repeat blockage: $189-$249. Credit applied to repair if we do the fix the same day.
Perimeter drain (drain tile) inspection: $229-$389. Includes camera around foundation perimeter from corner cleanout.
Sonde locate + pipe marking: $189-$289. Paint marks above ground, depth estimates, layout sketch.
Post-repair third-party verification: $169-$249. After-footage of someone else’s repair work.
Insurance documentation scope: Same pricing as diagnostic, plus formal adjustor-ready report at no extra charge.
Weekend / same-day priority: $99 premium added to any scope booked for same-day or weekend service.
Free written quote over the phone after a 5-minute description of what you need scoped.
A $300 sewer scope is the cheapest insurance in a $2M real estate deal. Book it before subject removal.
9 Things to Know About Drain Camera Inspections
- Most home inspections do NOT include camera scope of the sewer. Standard BC home inspections cover visible plumbing only. The buried lateral is the buyer’s blind spot – until it isn’t.
- Scope before subject removal, not after. Conditional offers with camera-scope subject built in give you negotiating leverage. Post-close discoveries don’t.
- HD video matters. Some older sewer cameras are 480p analog. Cracks, root hairlines, and offset joints look identical to dirt at low resolution. HD lets you see what’s actually there.
- The distance counter is the most important number. Every issue on the footage should be marked by distance from the cleanout. That’s what tells the repair crew where to dig – and what tells you whether the issue is on your property (your problem) or past the property line (city’s problem).
- Pre-1970 East Vancouver and Burnaby homes often have clay-tile laterals. Clay joints are root magnets. If you’re buying in those neighborhoods, scoping is not optional.
- Drain tile inspection is separate from sewer inspection. Different cleanout, different camera path. If your basement gets wet during atmospheric rivers, drain tile is what you want to scope – not just the sewer.
- Get the MP4 file, not just a verbal summary. Footage you can email to other plumbers for second opinions. Verbal summaries you can’t.
- Selling? Scope and disclose. A clean scope report in the listing package builds trust and reduces price negotiation. A discovered problem post-close becomes a lawsuit risk.
- Don’t pay for a scope that’s bundled with a repair quote on the spot. A scope should be a standalone diagnostic, not a sales presentation. We charge a flat fee, deliver the footage, and let you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typical residential sewer scope: 45-90 minutes on site. We push 80-150 feet of camera, record the footage, narrate what we see, mark above-ground locations with the sonde. Written report and MP4 emailed within 4 hours.
Yes – separate service from sewer scope. Camera goes in through the foundation corner cleanout, runs the perimeter of the foundation, identifies breaks, root intrusion, collapse, sediment. Critical before finishing a basement. $229-$389.
Yes, 1080p HD with audio narration from our technician. We email the MP4 to you the same day. Footage is yours to share with other plumbers, your real estate agent, or your insurance adjustor.
Yes. We pull a toilet and access through the closet flange. Adds $89-$129 to the scope cost. We re-set the toilet with a new wax seal and pressure-check before leaving.
Yes. We book Saturday and Sunday scopes routinely for time-pressured real estate deals. $99 weekend premium. Report still goes out same day.
The scope identifies what needs to be fixed. The repair quote is separate. If you’d like Mamba to quote the repair, we’ll send a written estimate after the scope. If you want to shop the quote, you have the camera footage to share with other plumbers.
Many Vancouver laterals fail at or past the property line. The distance counter on our camera tells you exactly where the issue is. If it’s past the property line, the City of Vancouver is responsible for the repair – we provide footage and report to support your service request.
Yes. Stack scopes for individual units (we access from the unit’s cleanout) and common-area horizontal stack scopes for strata corporations. Strata pricing volume-discounted.
Spartan Tool SeeSnake monitor system with 200-foot reel and HD camera head. Sonde transmitter on camera, Ridgid SR-24 above-ground locator. All recorded in 1080p with on-screen distance counter.
THE UTMOST QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM, 24/7
QUALITY IS OUR GAME
Mamba Drainage strives to deliver excellence one client at a time by upholding our core values throughout our services. We believe honest and meaningful work creates and sustains the foundation for exceptional client relations.