Before any repair, replacement, or digging recommendation, our sewer camera inspection in San Jose runs an HD head down the actual pipe first. Whatever is wrong shows up on a screen before a shovel moves or a quote gets written. Licensed IRBIS plumbers put the camera in before anything else.
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Six situations to call a technician for a camera inspection
Sewage smell in the yard or basement with nothing above ground to explain it
Slow drains are showing up all over the house at once, not just one sink
A clog that clears, then comes right back a few weeks later
A pre-purchase check on the sewer lateral before you close on an older house
Confirmation before any sewer repair or replacement, so the quote reflects the pipe's real condition
A follow-up run after root clearing to verify the roots left and the pipe survived
The HD plumbing camera inspection covers the full lateral, from the house cleanout to the city main.
Root intrusion, including how far roots have spread and where they push through pipe joints
Pipe cracks and fractures, everything from hairline stress lines to full structural breaks
Offset or misaligned joints, a common finding in pre-1980 San Jose clay pipe
Grease and scale buildup, the slow accumulation that narrows the line year after year
Pipe bellies, the low spots where solids settle and cause repeat backups
Collapsed sections, where the pipe is fully compromised, and replacement is the only fix
Four of San Jose's older neighborhoods, Willow Glen, Rose Garden, Cambrian, and Berryessa, still drain through clay or cast iron laterals 50 to 70 years old. The clay is the weak point. Soil swells every wet winter, shrinks every dry summer, and the pipe cracks. Roots follow the moisture in oak, eucalyptus and liquid amber. Hard water finishes the job at 250 to 300 mg/L, packing scale onto the walls. A sewer pipe video inspection is the only honest look you get down there.
After our camera inspection, we give you a diagnosis, not a bill. If the pipe reads clean, the footage is yours to file. If we spot a blockage, we can snake or hydro jet it to clear it. If the camera catches damage, we scope a sewer repair or replacement from the footage rather than a guess.
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Here is our basic four-step process. This takes about an hour on a typical residential line.
Step 1
Cleanout comes off first. No cleanout, the plumber finds another way in and feeds the reel
Step 2
We snake the camera through the length of the pipe, with footage rolling from start to finish
Step 3
We watch it live and identify cracks, roots, and a belly in the line; the plumber names each one on screen
Step 4
We give you the video and our findings, along with a quote if something needs fixing
Alert
Here’s why San Jose homeowners call Irbis first:
Camera First, Repair Second
The footage has to show a problem before anyone digs or hands you a quote.
Licensed California Plumbers
Our sewer scope inspectors work under CSLB license #1048009 and follow the California plumbing code.
Same-Day Inspection Available
Call before noon, and a same-day visit reaches most San Jose homes.
Full Plumbing Capability
The team that scopes your line also handles every plumbing repair that might follow.
Drain inspection services reach every San Jose zip code, From Willow Glen to the condos and townhomes near Berryessa BART, single-family and multi-family homes book through one number: (669) COOLING.
Questions & Answers
Cost depends on line length and access, so IRBIS quotes a flat rate before the camera goes in. The number you approve is the number you pay.
Most residential runs finish inside an hour. Limited access, a pulled toilet, or an unusually long lateral can add time, and you hear about it up front.
A ground-level cleanout is fastest, though not required. The camera also runs through a roof vent or a pulled toilet when that is the only way in.
Yes, and in detail. Footage pins down each spot where roots broke through, how far they spread, and which clearing method actually fits.
It can be. Plenty of homeowners add a drain camera inspection after drain cleaning just to see that the line is clear.
Yes. The recorded footage and written findings work for both, and real estate agents and insurance adjusters around here see IRBIS reports all the time.
Homes built before 1980 do well on a two- to three-year cycle. Add one before any purchase or after a backup repeats itself. Newer lines can wait longer.
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