inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 11:55:15 -0700 (PDT), Heathcliff
wrote:

the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

How to build a submersible web cam:

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/...ersible-webcam

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 11:55:15 -0700 (PDT), Heathcliff
wrote:

the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

How to build a submersible web cam:

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/...ersible-webcam

Submersible? Yes.

Able to see in a cast iron pipe? Nope!

This needs a light source to be feasible for what the OP wants.

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 16:50:37 -0400, "Charlie"
wrote:


"Oren" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 11:55:15 -0700 (PDT), Heathcliff
wrote:

the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

How to build a submersible web cam:

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/...ersible-webcam

Submersible? Yes.

Able to see in a cast iron pipe? Nope!

This needs a light source to be feasible for what the OP wants.


Correct on all accounts :-)))

There is cheap and there is feasible.

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

Heathcliff wrote:

Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

You really need to run the numbers as you are going to pay a whole lot more for
buying the equipment than it would cost you to have someone do it for you. That
said, this is probably what you are looking for:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...&dcaid =17902

50' of extentions won't be cheap though.

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

Heathcliff wrote:
the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

The first time I saw them for rent was at a local
plumbing supply house and the deposit was $1500.00.

TDD

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

On Jul 7, 4:13*pm, Robert Neville wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? *I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. *-- H

You really need to run the numbers as you are going to pay a whole lot more for
buying the equipment than it would cost you to have someone do it for you.. That
said, this is probably what you are looking for:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...tingid=4184102....

50' of extentions won't be cheap though.

Right, sort of. That is a complete unit with its own screen for
viewing what's down the pipe. But, I am thinking there should be
something simpler out there that you can plug into your existing
computer. The computer supplies the processing and image display, all
you need is a camera and a light to illuminate what you're looking at.
USB cameras and flashlight-strength LEDs are cheap - so one might
expect this could be done fairly cheaply. And for this application
you also would want something - slides or rollers or something - to
keep the lens up out of the muck. But I suppose there is some flaw in
my thinking since my hypothetical gizmo is not already out there.

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 15:26:00 -0700 (PDT), Heathcliff
wrote:

On Jul 7, 4:13*pm, Robert Neville wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? *I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. *-- H

You really need to run the numbers as you are going to pay a whole lot more for
buying the equipment than it would cost you to have someone do it for you. That
said, this is probably what you are looking for:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...tingid=4184102...

50' of extentions won't be cheap though.

Right, sort of. That is a complete unit with its own screen for
viewing what's down the pipe. But, I am thinking there should be
something simpler out there that you can plug into your existing
computer. The computer supplies the processing and image display, all
you need is a camera and a light to illuminate what you're looking at.
USB cameras and flashlight-strength LEDs are cheap - so one might
expect this could be done fairly cheaply. And for this application
you also would want something - slides or rollers or something - to
keep the lens up out of the muck. But I suppose there is some flaw in
my thinking since my hypothetical gizmo is not already out there.

I think the one flaw is how far you can travel with a USB camera. Not
real far!

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

You can probably rig something up using this $ 29 camera:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47546

You could ductape the camera and a small led flashlight to a stiff sewer
snake. It needs to be stiff so that you can push it along 50' of sewer pipe.
Any old TV will give you a good image.

I have a slab house and wanted to know where all the pipes under the slab
are running. For $ 250, a commercial company marked all the pipes. Then we
looked down the main sewer line (100') to make sure it was clear. The black
plastic pipe was clean as a whistle, after 25 years.

Interesting and educational. The wonders of science!

--
Walter
www.rationality.net
-
"Heathcliff" wrote in message
...
the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
...
the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
...
the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

Well, then just dig it up, you cheap *******. Other than that, SOME
companies do FREE inspections, or at least reasonable ones. You're dealing
with a big deal here. The first thing you need to do is get a good idea
what you're up against. And the way to do that is to put a good camera down
there and look at it up close and personal. What you see is what you get,
and you'll be sure about what work needs to be done. THEN, you can cut
corners on that with different ways to save money. Don't cheap out on the
inspection.

Welcome to the CBC. (Cheap *******s Club) If you qualify, then you can
upgrade to the CBOFC. (Cheap *******s Old Farts Club)

Steve

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

In article ,
"SteveB" wrote:

And the way to do that is to put a good camera down
there and look at it up close and personal.

Um, uh, I agree that a good camera will give the OP a good idea of what
is or isn't going on in the sewer, but the idea of a camera is that it's
*remote,* which is to say, NOT "up close and personal."

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

Heathcliff wrote:
the recent thread on inspection cameras. I have different but
related question. I would like to be able to inspect my sewer line
out to the street - probably 50 feet or so total distance. I have
easy access to it via a cleanout plug. I don't really have any
problems with it right now in terms of clogs, but I am still curious
as to how good of a shape it's in. I am pretty sure it's cast iron
(the stack is) and 90+ years old. If there are incipient problems I'd
like to know so I can start saving up! I am thinking there ought to
be a reasonably cheap solution using a camera that hooks up to the
computer. After all a USB webcam that sits on top of your monitor
costs about $10. Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. -- H

Here's a bunch from Craigslist for under $200.

http://craiglook.com/all.html?q=inspection+camera

After you've had your peek, you can re-sell it on Craigslist. Ebay also has
several for under $200.

inspection camera - for homeowner use
 

Heathcliff writes:

On Jul 7, 4:13*pm, Robert Neville wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
Can anyone recommend a product or a rigged-up
solution? *I don't want to pay $$$ to a plumber or even an equipment
rental place. Yes, I am a cheap *******. *-- H

You really need to run the numbers as you are going to pay a whole lot more for
buying the equipment than it would cost you to have someone do it for you. That
said, this is probably what you are looking for:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...tingid=4184102...

50' of extentions won't be cheap though.

Right, sort of. That is a complete unit with its own screen for
viewing what's down the pipe. But, I am thinking there should be
something simpler out there that you can plug into your existing
computer. The computer supplies the processing and image display, all
you need is a camera and a light to illuminate what you're looking at.
USB cameras and flashlight-strength LEDs are cheap - so one might
expect this could be done fairly cheaply. And for this application
you also would want something - slides or rollers or something - to
keep the lens up out of the muck. But I suppose there is some flaw in
my thinking since my hypothetical gizmo is not already out there.

Don't forget that USB cables have a limited length...
So you might need to move to an Ethernet camera -- which adds more
cost & complexity...