A sewer camera inspection can be done by one person and usually is. Two people do it in a little over half the time, kink fewer rods, miss fewer findings and finish with the locate done and the reel clean. For a contractor billing by the job, the second person pays for themselves; for a crew that is already two for other reasons, the inspection is where the division of labour is clearest. This guide sets out who does what.
Quick answer: one person is on the rod: pushing, feeling resistance, steering and retrieving. The other is on the reel and monitor: managing the drum and drag, watching the picture, calling what they see, recording, taking stills and noting distances. When a finding needs locating, the monitor person takes the receiver and walks the lawn while the rod person holds the head on the finding. On retrieval the monitor person winds while the rod person wipes. Agree the calls before the first push and keep the roles fixed for the job.
Why two is faster
A single operator pushes, then looks at the screen, then pushes, then looks, and reaches back to the reel between. The rod waits while the eyes are on the monitor and the monitor waits while the hands are on the rod. With two, the rod moves continuously and the picture is watched continuously, the drum is always under control, and the locate happens with the camera in place rather than after a second push. The saving is most of the waiting.
The rod person
Stands at the entry with hands on the rod, feeding in short strokes with a short free length, feeling for bends and stops, rotating to steer at junctions, and stopping when the monitor person calls. On retrieval, pulls steadily and wipes the rod as it comes. Does not look at the screen except when stopped; the monitor person is their eyes. Feeding technique and rotating to steer are this person’s skills.
The monitor person
Sits or stands at the reel with the monitor in view, sets the drum drag for pushing and retrieval, keeps the rod running clean through the mouth, watches the picture, calls material changes, joints, water and findings as they appear with the counter reading, starts and stops recording, takes stills, and keeps the written log. Says stop when something needs a closer look and go when it has been seen. Drum locks and brakes and what a report should include are this person’s references.
The calls
Agree a few words before starting. Stop and go. Back a foot. Hold. Roots at forty-seven. Water. Main. The rod person repeats distances back so they are heard. A narration on the recording, if the monitor has a microphone, is the monitor person’s job and becomes the report’s first draft. Trimming clips later is easier when the calls are on the audio.
The locate
When a finding needs marking, the rod person holds the head on it and the monitor person takes the receiver, walks the lawn, finds the sonde, marks the spot and depth, and comes back. With one person this means leaving the reel, locating, and hoping the head has not moved; with two it is five minutes and certain. Marking a dig covers the technique.
Entry and exit
The monitor person opens the cleanout while the rod person sets up the reel and head, and closes it while the rod person cleans. At a roof vent or a manhole, the second person is a safety requirement rather than a convenience. Cleanout entry, vent entry and manhole entry each assume a second person.
Retrieval and cleaning
The monitor person winds the drum under drag; the rod person pulls steadily and passes the rod through a wet rag so the drum stays clean. At the head, the rod person rinses and inspects while the monitor person copies the footage and logs the job. The reel goes in the case dry. Cleaning after a sewage job is halved by two people.
Customer communication
With a customer present, the monitor person talks and shows the screen while the rod person keeps working. A homeowner who sees the roots at forty-seven feet as they appear, with someone explaining, approves the repair; one who waits for a single operator to finish and then watch a replay does not always.
When one person must do it
Set the drag carefully so the drum behaves without a hand on it, put the monitor where it can be seen from the entry, use a reel with a counter so distances are on screen rather than remembered, record continuously and narrate aloud, and do the locate as a separate pass with the head parked. It works; it takes longer. Monitors for reporting and reels with microphones help the solo operator most.
Training
Swap roles between jobs so each person can do both, and so the rod person learns what the picture shows and the monitor person learns what the rod feels like. A crew in which both can do either is a crew that can split for two simple jobs or combine for a hard one.
Common questions
Do you need two people to run a sewer camera?
No, but two finish in a little over half the time, kink fewer rods and get the locate done with the camera in place.
Who should watch the monitor during a sewer inspection?
The person not on the rod. The rod person feels the pipe; the monitor person watches, calls and records.
How do two people coordinate a sewer camera locate?
The rod person holds the head on the finding; the monitor person walks the receiver to the sonde, marks it and comes back.
Related guides
See cameras for hydro jetting crews, the best 23 mm sewer cameras, and cameras for septic systems.