Sewer cameras come up second-hand all the time: a plumber upgrading, a business closing, a homeowner who bought one for a single problem. A professional reel at a third of its new price is a genuine bargain if it works, and a consumer reel that has sat in a garage after two uses is close to new. The difficulty is that the parts that wear are the parts that are hardest to see: a lens scratched to fog, a rod kinked under the outer layer, a sonde that no longer transmits, a battery that holds an hour. A fifteen-minute inspection at the point of sale, with the camera running, separates the bargain from the box of parts, and a few questions about history and spares settle the rest.
Quick answer: before paying, power the camera on and check the picture for sharpness, colour and, on a self-leveling head, uprightness; inspect the lens for scratches and the head for dents and a tight connection; run the whole rod through your hands for kinks, splits and soft spots; pay the reel out and back for smooth action and a working lock; test the counter; activate the sonde and confirm a receiver hears it; check the battery’s charge indicator and ask how long it lasts; look at the screen for dead pixels and burn; and confirm the card slot, the charger and any accessories work. Ask what it was used for, whether the head or rod have been replaced, and whether parts are still available for the model.
The head
The most expensive part and the one most likely to be worn. Look at the lens under a light: fine scratches are normal, a scratched or fogged centre is a replacement. Check for dents in the housing, which can mean the seal is compromised, and for corrosion at the connector behind the head. On a self-leveling head, rotate it in your hand with the picture on and confirm the picture stays upright. Check all LEDs light and that they dim. A head that fogs internally after a few minutes running has water inside, and water inside a sewer camera head explains what that costs.
The rod
Pay out the entire rod and run it through your hands. A kink feels like a hard spot or a slight bend that will not straighten; a split shows as a crack in the outer layer; a soft spot means the fibreglass core has absorbed water. Any of these means the rod will fail in a pipe, and a rod is a significant replacement on a professional reel. A rod that has been spliced is a rod that has broken once, and push cable repair and splicing describes what to look for. Check the spring behind the head is straight.
The reel
Pay out and wind in. The drum should spin freely and the lock should hold. Grinding or wobble means the bearing is worn. Check the frame for cracks and bends, and the monitor mount for play. A trolley’s wheels and handle should work. Reel bearing and drum maintenance explains the parts.
Counter, sonde and screen
Push a few feet of rod and watch the counter count, then reset it. Activate the sonde and, if a receiver is included or you have brought one, confirm it picks up the head from a few feet away; a sonde that does not transmit turns a locating reel into a looking reel. Look at the screen for dead pixels, a dark corner or a faint ghost of a previous image, and check the brightness goes all the way up for outdoor use. Check the card reads and that files can be exported. Testing a 512 Hz sonde above ground covers the sonde check.
Battery and charger
Ask how long the battery lasts and look at the charge indicator. A battery that is near the end of its life is a replacement, which is cheap on some reels and impossible on others. Confirm the charger is included and works. A reel sold without its charger is a reel whose battery may already be dead.
Questions to ask
What was it used for, and how often. Residential inspection a few times a month is light use; daily drain cleaning is hard use. Has the head or the rod been replaced, and when. Is the model still sold, and are heads, rods and batteries available for it; a professional reel from a major brand usually has a parts chain, and a consumer reel from a brand that no longer exists may not. Why is it being sold. And is there any footage from it, which shows the picture quality in a real pipe. Serviceability and what to ask covers the parts question in depth.
What is acceptable wear
Scuffed housings, a scratched case, light scoring on the rod’s outer layer, a slightly stiff reel, cosmetic marks on the screen. None of those affects the inspection. A fogged lens, a kinked rod, a dead sonde, a dying battery or a screen with burn do, and each is a reason to lower the price by the cost of the fix or to walk away.
Pricing it
Start from the new price of the same or an equivalent model, which the guides on this site give for the common reels, and subtract for age, use and any part that needs replacing. A professional reel with a lifetime warranty on the reel may still carry that warranty for the original owner only; ask. A consumer reel is worth less than half its new price after a year of use, and less if the brand’s parts are hard to get. Selling a used sewer camera shows the same inspection from the other side.
Common questions
Is a used sewer camera a good buy?
If the head, rod, sonde and battery check out, often a very good one. If any of them fail, the repair can cost more than the discount.
What fails first on a sewer camera?
The lens, the rod near the head, the battery and the sonde, in roughly that order. Check all four.
Should I buy a used camera with no sonde?
Only for looking, not locating. A reel without a sonde cannot mark a dig, and that limits what it is worth.
Related guides
See repair vs replacement, the ten-minute pre-use test, and the best sewer cameras under $1,000.