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Sewer camera inspection · Greeley, CO

Sewer camera inspection in Greeley, CO: see inside the line before you decide

A sewer line is buried, so a problem in it is often guessed at until someone looks. A sewer camera inspection in Greeley, CO, often called a sewer scope, runs a small camera through the pipe so the inside can be seen. It is used when buying a home, when drains keep clogging, and before a repair. Call for a sewer camera inspection in Greeley.

It looks at your own sewer line. The City of Greeley says residents are responsible for their own service line.

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TO THE STREET CAMERA A B C D E
Fig. 1 A line seen from the side, with five things a camera can find Not to scale.
  1. ARoots at a joint
  2. BOffset joint
  3. CLow stretch (belly)
  4. DCrack or break
  5. EBuildup
A technician in work clothes crouched at an open sewer cleanout in the grass beside a house, feeding an inspection camera cable from a reel into the pipe, with a portable monitor on a stand beside them.

Why look

Sewer camera inspection in Greeley: three reasons to put a camera in the line

A scope is asked for in one of these situations. Which one it is shapes what you ask for and what you do with the result.

Lane 1

Buying a home

The sewer line is hidden, and a camera is the usual way to see inside it.

Fit it into the contract's inspection period; your agent or the contract sets the dates. Keep the recording and any report with the purchase file. The city may also hold a record of past sewer calls at the address: see the city's records.

Lane 2

Repeat clogs or backups

When the same line blocks again, cleaning clears what is there but does not show why it came back.

A camera can show the cause: roots, a low stretch, an offset, a crack or buildup. Main sewer line cleaning

Lane 3

Before a repair

Before a repair, a camera shows where the damage is and how far it runs. Sewer line repair

1 2 3 4
Fig. 2 The camera goes in through the cleanout Not to scale.
  1. 1The open cleanout. A capped opening into the line, with the cap off.
  2. 2The cap. Set aside while the camera is in the line.
  3. 3The cable. A flexible cable carries the camera along the pipe.
  4. 4The camera head. A small camera with a light, pushed through the pipe.

How the camera gets in

Through the cleanout, and then along the pipe

The camera needs an opening into the line, and the cleanout is the usual one.

  1. Open the way

    The cleanout cap comes off. If the line is blocked or coated, it may need cleaning first so the camera can see the pipe wall. Main sewer line cleaning covers access and cleaning.

  2. Feed the camera along

    A camera head on a flexible cable is pushed through the pipe with a light on, and the picture is watched as it goes.

  3. Note what is seen

    The plumber notes anything in the pipe, where it is and what it looks like. Those notes are what the next decision rests on.

What it shows

Five things a scope can show, and the usual next step

The letters match the drawing at the top. How serious each one is depends on the picture and on the plumber's judgment.

  • A. Roots at a jointFig. 1

    Roots have grown in through a joint in the pipe.

    Next step: cleaning can cut them back, but the joint stays open. Ask whether repair is worth discussing. Sewer line repair

  • B. Offset jointFig. 1

    Two sections of pipe have moved out of line, leaving a step where debris can catch.

    Next step: how far the sections have moved decides whether it needs watching or repair. The plumber judges that from the picture.

  • C. Low stretchFig. 1 · also called a belly

    The pipe sags, and water and debris settle in the dip.

    Next step: cleaning clears what has collected, and the blockage may return. If it does, repair is the question.

  • D. Crack or breakFig. 1

    The pipe wall is cracked, broken or collapsed.

    Next step: cleaning does not fix a damaged pipe. This is a repair question. Sewer line repair

  • E. BuildupFig. 1

    Grease, paper or wipes are coating or narrowing the inside of the pipe.

    Next step: cleaning. The City of Greeley asks residents to keep fats, oils, grease and "flushable" wipes out of drains, and to flush only toilet paper. Main sewer line cleaning

Buying a house, or the same drain blocking again? Call for a sewer camera inspection in Greeley.

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The result

The recording and the report: what to ask for

The picture is only useful if you can see it and understand it afterward. Ask before the inspection.

  • Whether you will get a recording of the inspection, and in what form
  • Whether you will get a written summary, or only a verbal one
  • Roughly where along the line each finding sits, measured from where the camera went in
  • Anything the camera could not see or could not pass, and why
  • Whether the line was cleaned first, and what that showed

The recording and any report vary by plumber, so ask before the inspection. If you are buying a house, the recording and any report belong with the purchase file.

Limits

What a scope cannot do

A camera shows the inside of the pipe it can reach. It does not answer every question about the line.

  • It cannot show past a section it cannot pass, such as a collapsed or fully blocked one.
  • A line that is coated or holding standing water can hide what is on the pipe wall.
  • It shows the pipe as it is on the day, not when or whether something will fail.
  • It does not show the route of the line across the lot on its own. Locating the line is a separate step.
  • It does not say who is responsible for a problem it finds. Who repairs sewer and water lines in Greeley
  • It does not give a cost. Exact pricing depends on the length of the line, access and the scope of the inspection.

Greeley specifics

A second source: the city's record of the address

A camera shows what the line looks like now. The City of Greeley may also hold a record of what has happened at the address.

What the city says it has, and has not

On file

The city's Wastewater Collection Division has tracked sewer emergency calls by property since 1974. It says it can tell a buyer about previous sewer-related issues and whether the city or a private owner corrected them.

Ask the city
Not on file

The route of a private line across the lot. The city's data shows only where the private line connects to the public one, and the city says records for all properties may not be available or accurate.

The city's record shows what was reported. A camera shows the pipe as it is.

To ask, contact the City Wastewater Collection Division, a city department and not a plumbing company, through the municipal wastewater utility. The city's page does not say whether there is a fee, how long an answer takes or whether it comes in writing.

After the picture

Find it, then fix it

What comes next depends on what the camera shows.

FAQ

Sewer camera inspection: common questions

Do I need a sewer scope when I buy a house?

Nothing on the City of Greeley's wastewater page requires one. It points buyers to the division's records. A scope is the usual way to see a hidden line, so it is worth raising with your agent early, while the contract's inspection period is open.

Will the city tell me about past problems?

You can ask. The city's Wastewater Collection Division says it has tracked sewer emergency calls by property since 1974 and can tell a buyer about previous sewer-related issues and whether the city or a private owner corrected them. The city also says its records may not be available or accurate for all properties. Ask the municipal wastewater utility.

What does a scope find, and what can it miss?

It can show roots, offset joints, low stretches, cracks and buildup inside the pipe it can reach. It can miss what it cannot reach or cannot see through, and it does not show the route of the line across the lot.

Does the line need cleaning first?

Sometimes. A blocked or heavily coated line can hide the pipe wall from the camera, so a plumber may clear it first. Main sewer line cleaning

How do I get the recording?

Ask before the inspection whether you will receive a recording and a written summary. What you receive varies by plumber, so ask first.

Can a camera show where the line runs?

A camera shows the inside of the pipe, and tracing the route across the lot is a separate step. To learn where the line runs from the house to the street or easement, the City of Greeley recommends contacting a private sewer cleaning company. Whether the equipment can also locate the line varies, so ask.

How soon can a plumber run a camera through the line?

Timing depends on the plumber's schedule and on access to the line. If you are buying a house, mention any deadline from the purchase when you call, and say where the cleanout is if you know.

Call about a sewer camera inspection

Say why you want to look: a purchase, repeat clogs or a repair, and where the cleanout is if you know.

Call (970) 633-4799

Reviewed October 2026

Call (970) 633-4799