I know where it comes out and I can see water flowing but I'm curious if there is any way to see inside to inspect for breakage.. Since it is just thin corrugated pipe... Without spending a couple hundred bucks on a plumber with a camera.
Maybe send a rope through as a snake, then drag a $20 go pro knockoff + Led flashlight thru it?
If you can find a small enough cheapie camera, that would be the best idea. I'd mark the rope with tape every 6 or 12 inches and stop for three seconds on each one. Since you won't be able to see the video live, the marking points and pause would give you an indication of where the breakage is if you find it.
-Rob
Great call on marking the rope. Low tech, reliable.
How do you get a rope through 125' of pipe? Shop vac and a plastic bag maybe, with a smaller string as a lead?
Hmmmm... 125'? That's quite a bit. If you have access to both ends and can pour water through it, a balloon tied to the end rope to float the whole length pouring water the whole time, attach the camera and light and pull it back through?
If you only have access to one end, then I'm not sure how. Wonder if you could get a plumber's snake that long and push it through?
-Rob
Both ends of the pipe are accessible. I heard the shop vac + bag trick from an electrician.
Crazy glue go-pro to rat. Place rat near pipe. Release terrier.
You will have to watch it in slo-mo later.
In reply to Huckleberry:
Rat keeps running away with my camera
Camera mounted to cheap RC car? Tie a rope to it so you can retrieve it should it run out of range or get stuck.
Not a bad idea, rc car. Or maybe just something motorized with a simple on-off switch.
I think I will try a string tied to a rope then pull a wiffle ball and see if it's blocked. Then if it seems clear try to rig up a device to hold a light + camera.
The whole point is to determine if my drain pipe is broken and leaking under the house.. Concerned because I have some settlement under slabs (garage, back patio, sidewalk, driveway and basement) and I suspect water runs right under the house (on a hill).
Do you have a damp suspect area that you are trying to tie specifically to this pipe? Perhaps some food coloring in the inlet of the pipe would be enough to confirm your suspicions. If the damp area turns the color of the dye you know the pipe is compromised.
Rope with distance marking on it that is very strong and slick, made for pulling wire through conduit is called mule tape. Probably can get a length of it slightly used for free from your local power utility.
You should be able to rent a push camera from your local united rentals.
What about using electrician's "fish tape" to guide it through? It's pretty common. A 125ft length is about $35 at the local box store.
I think you have forgotten how dark it is inside a pipe. All you will have is a black screen.
How would an RC car give you any kind of footage you could understand driving in the ribs of a corrugated pipe?
As someone who uses pipe cameras regularly, I think you are a little nuts. They are a cheap investment for what could be a major catastrophe. They can also locate EXACTKY where the issue is (so you don't have to dig up the whole yard), and come with a guy who is really skilled in reading the images, live camera, and record. If you don't see what you are looking for, you just back up a bit.
I've watched a lot of camera images, and always appreciate the camera Guy's expertise in helping me understand what I am looking at.
BTW, if you have a leaky joint in corrugated pipe, it's unlikely you will see it with a GoPro. There are 1000 ribs in there, and 1 of them might be separated a bit.
ECM's dye idea might help more.
Check craigslist for a cheap camera or GoPro?
In reply to SVreX:
Is it something you rent, or hire? Who do you hire? A plumber? A utility contractor?
SVreX wrote: BTW, if you have a leaky joint in corrugated pipe, it's unlikely you will see it with a GoPro. There are 1000 ribs in there, and 1 of them might be separated a bit. ECM's dye idea might help more.
You're right about the corrugated pipe.. Near impossible. I thought I would just look for roots.. May be pointless.
If its like every pipe I have ever run a camera thru, then there will be dips in the pipe full of water. Be prepared for large sections where you won't see e36m3.
tr8todd wrote: If its like every pipe I have ever run a camera thru, then there will be dips in the pipe full of water. Be prepared for large sections where you won't see e36m3.
had not considered traps in the line.
Goggles. Check.
OHSCrifle wrote: In reply to SVreX: Is it something you rent, or hire? Who do you hire? A plumber? A utility contractor?
Call any plumber and ask. Some of them have cameras, some hire camera services. Either way, they can refer you to the right person.
In reply to OHSCrifle:
I appreciate a grassroots solution as much as the next guy. But here's the bottom line... You are gonna spend $100 bucks and a LOT of time and aggravation to learn nothing at all. Then, you are going to hire a camera guy. In 15 minutes he will tell you what you need, and you will wonder why you goofed around with other questionable options.
In reply to SVreX:
What fun is that? I would develop a debilitating stomach ailment, get my doctor to prescribe a camera to swallow, retrieve and clean the camera and run it through the pipe. Then just ask the doctor to see the last 125ft of video.
Strap a go pro to a board shaped like a barge rounded on both ends so it doesn't dig in. Tie fishing line to both ends. Float the line down and thru the pipe to the other side first. Run empty barge thru first just in case it hits something and wants to get stuck. Fishing line on both ends means you can pull it back out the same way it went in. Tape markers on line every ten feet. If barge passes thru easily enough, go big and strap the go pro to it. For what you would pay to have the line done by a pro with a camera, you get to do the same thing and keep the go pro. I just had a line videoed and it was $250 with no video tape or locator service. The video and locator would have been $450. Those are RI/Mass prices from a small outfit, not a big company with the name rooter attached to the end of it.
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