Most sewer camera failures announce themselves before the job if anyone looks. The battery that will not hold charge, the card that errors, the head that fogged last time and was put away damp, the counter that reads short, the sonde the receiver cannot hear, the skid that is still in the last pipe. On an ordinary job those cost an hour; on a long commercial run, a pre-purchase scope with a deadline or a job two hours away they cost the job. This is the ten-minute test, run the evening before, that finds them on the bench.
Quick answer: charge the battery and check it holds; format the card in the unit and record and play back a clip; inspect the head’s O-rings and seat the head; power on and check picture, orientation and every LED; zero the counter and pay out ten feet against a tape; turn on the sonde and find it with the receiver; confirm the skids, guide tube, cleanout tools, spares and hygiene kit are in the vehicle; run the rod through your hands for kinks and spin the drum for grinding; set the date and time. Fix anything found tonight, because tomorrow there is no time.
1. Battery
Charge fully. If the monitor has a percentage display, note it, run the monitor with the LEDs on for ten minutes and note it again; a battery that drops noticeably in ten minutes will not last a long job and a power bank or spare must travel. Charge the receiver too. Battery care covers what to expect.
2. Card and recording
Confirm last job’s footage has been copied off and backed up, then format the card in the monitor. Record thirty seconds, take a still, play both back on the monitor. Put a formatted spare in the case. Card handling and exporting footage cover the routine.
3. Head and seals
Unscrew the head if the design allows, look at the O-rings for grit and cuts, grease lightly with the specified lubricant, reseat firmly by hand. Look at the lens window for scratches and the spring for damage. A head that fogged on the last job and was dried out is tested with extra care; fog inside the window tonight means a new head or a cancelled job. O-rings and seals and water inside the head cover it.
4. Picture and LEDs
Power on, point the head at text at arm’s length, check focus and colour, rotate the head and confirm a self-leveling picture stays upright. Run the LEDs from minimum to maximum and count them lit. Flex the rod near the head and the connector while watching for flicker, which is a cable fault that will get worse in the pipe. Flickering and blurry video cover the faults.
5. Counter
Zero with the head at the reel mouth, pay out ten feet against a tape, read, wind back and confirm it returns to zero. Note the error. A counter that will not count or reads badly short is diagnosed tonight. Calibrating the counter covers the check and cable markings the backup.
6. Sonde and receiver
Turn the sonde on, lay the head on the floor, pick it up with the receiver from a few feet and walk away until the signal fades. Check the receiver’s batteries and that its antenna is intact. A sonde that cannot be heard across a room cannot be heard under a lawn. Testing a sonde above ground and locator maintenance cover both halves.
7. Rod and reel
Pay the rod out through your hands for the length the job needs, feeling for kinks, soft spots and jacket cracks, and looking at the markings. Spin the drum and listen for grinding; check the brake and drag work. Wind back under drag. Signs of a damaged push cable and reel maintenance cover the findings.
8. Skids, guides and entry kit
Both skids and their fasteners, the guide tube, the cleanout wrench and cap tool, penetrating oil, spare caps, marking paint and flags, a tape measure. Lay them out and put them in the vehicle. Guides and spares list them.
9. Hygiene and safety kit
Gloves, glasses, water, soap, towel, wipes, bags, first aid. A gas monitor if the entry is below grade; ladder and fall protection if it is a roof. PPE covers the list.
10. Date, time and settings
Set the date and time in the monitor, choose the units, check the recording resolution, and confirm any overlay the job needs is on. Footage with a wrong date is an argument later.
The job itself
Know the length of the run and that the reel has it with margin; know the pipe size and that the head and skid fit; know the entry and that it can be opened. Measuring the run and the job selector help with the first two, and cleanout access with the third.
If something fails
A battery, card, skid or O-ring is fixed from spares tonight. A head, counter sensor or slip ring is not, and the choice is a borrowed or hired reel or a postponed job; the evening before is when that call can still be made. Downtime and loaners covers the options.
Common questions
What should I check on a sewer camera before a job?
Battery, card and recording, head seals and picture, LEDs, counter, sonde, rod and reel, skids and entry kit, hygiene kit, and the date and time. Ten minutes the night before.
How do I test a sewer camera counter quickly?
Zero it, pay out ten feet against a tape, read, wind back to zero. Note the error.
How do I know the sonde is working before the job?
Turn it on and find it with the receiver across a room. If the receiver cannot hear it there, it will not hear it underground.
Related guides
See the first-time setup checklist, serviceability questions to ask, and inspecting before and after jetting.