Pipeline video inspection

A common application is for a plumber to determine the condition of small diameter sewer lines and household connection drain pipes.

Older sewer lines of small diameter, typically 6-inch (150 mm), are made by the union of a number of short 3 feet (0.91 m) sections.

Eventually a root ball will form that will impede the flow and this may cleaned out by a cutter mechanism or plumber's snake and subsequently inhibited by use of a chemical foam - a rooticide.

A small diameter collector pipe will typically have a cleanout access at the far end and will be several hundred feet long, terminating at a manhole.

In order to prevent resulting catastrophic events such as pipe bursts and raw sewage flooding onto city streets, municipalities usually conduct pipeline video inspections as a precautionary measure.

Sometimes referred to as a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge), the camera and lights are mounted in a swivelling head attached to a cylindrical body.

Some companies, such as Rausch Electronics USA, incorporate a series of lasers in the camera to accurately measure the pipe diameter and other data.

Extensive moderate defects may be repaired by lining with a fabric liner that is pulled through the pipe, inflated, and then made rigid through chemical means.