What is the difference between a sewer scope and a sewer camera inspection?

Nothing. Sewer scope is the name home buyers and inspectors use for the same thing: a camera on a cable inside your sewer line.

How much does a sewer camera inspection cost in Lago Vista?

We give you the price on the phone before you schedule, because it depends on access, line length, a blockage and whether the grinder pump is checked on the same visit. A $65 trip charge applies and is credited toward the work if you go ahead.

How long does it take?

About an hour for most homes. A long line, a blockage or several branches take longer.

Do you have to dig anything up?

Not for the inspection. The camera goes in through the cleanout. If your home does not have one, we tell you the options before we start. If the camera finds damage, we explain the repair choices and price each one in writing before any work.

I am buying a home with a grinder pump. Is a sewer scope enough?

A scope covers the gravity line to the pump tank. It does not tell you the condition of the pump, the floats, the check valve or the alarm panel. We can look at both on one visit so you get the full picture before your option period ends.

Can a camera inspect a grinder pump line?

It can inspect the gravity line from the house to the pump tank. The pressurized line from the pump to the city main is not scoped the same way, so we check it by its pressure, its electrical draw and how the pump cycles.

Do you inspect septic systems?

We inspect the line from the house to the tank. We do not inspect the tank or the drain field. If the problem looks like a full tank, we tell you so you can call a septic company.

Whose responsibility is the sewer line, mine or the city's?

The line on your property is yours. The City of Lago Vista owns the public main. If the problem is on the city's side, we tell you and report it, and you do not pay us to fix it.

How often should I have my sewer line scoped?

When you have symptoms, when you buy a home and before a remodel. For older homes or lines near mature trees, many plumbers suggest a check every few years.

Do you do sewer camera inspections in Jonestown, The Hollows and Lakeway?

Yes. We serve Jonestown, The Hollows, Point Venture, Northshore on Lake Travis and Lakeway as well as Lago Vista.

Sewer Camera Inspection in Lago Vista, TX

A sewer camera inspection, also called a sewer scope, puts a small waterproof camera on a flexible cable into your sewer line so we can see cracks, roots, sags and blockages on a screen instead of guessing or digging. Real Texas Plumbing - Heating and Air does sewer camera inspections for homes in Lago Vista, Jonestown, The Hollows and around Lake Travis. We show you the video, tell you what it means, and give you a written price before anything else happens. We are licensed (Texas Responsible Master Plumber RMP44420) and family-owned since 2018.

If you have a grinder pump, the camera covers the gravity line from your house to the pump tank. The pressurized line from the pump to the city main is checked a different way. We explain that below.

Call (512) 662-2949 to book. We give you the price on the phone before you schedule.

When should you get one?

Get a sewer camera inspection when:

More than one drain is slow or backing up at the same time
A drain you had cleared clogs again within weeks or months
A toilet gurgles when water runs somewhere else in the house
You smell sewage inside or outside the house
Part of the yard over the line is wet, sunken or unusually green
You are buying a home, especially an older one or one with big trees near the line
You are about to remodel or add a bathroom to a line you have never seen

One slow sink is usually a drain problem, not a sewer line problem. See our drain cleaning page. When several drains are involved or the clog keeps returning, the camera tells you whether it is a simple blockage or damage in the pipe.

Buying a home near Lake Travis? Scope the sewer line first

A standard home inspection looks at the plumbing you can see. It usually does not put a camera in the sewer line, and that line is buried, expensive to fix and yours to pay for after closing. Ask for a sewer scope during your option period so you know what you are buying and have the video if you need to negotiate.

Lake homes and weekend homes deserve extra care. A house that sat empty between guests can hide a slow line problem for years. And if the home has a grinder pump, ask whether the scope covered it. A clean scope of the line to the tank tells you nothing about the pump. We can check both on the same visit. See our guide to buying or selling a home with a grinder pump.

What the camera finds in Lago Vista-area homes

Lago Vista homes sit on hillsides and limestone above Lake Travis, so sewer lines run down slopes and through rock. Over the years the ground shifts and lines can crack, pull apart at a joint, or sag where the soil settled. Mature trees send roots into those joints. Here is what the camera shows us most:

Tree roots working into a joint
Cracks and broken sections
Offset or separated joints
A belly, which is a sag that holds water and waste and clogs again and again
Scale or corrosion in older iron pipe
A collapsed section
A plain blockage with nothing wrong with the pipe

Each one has a different fix, and the camera is how you know which one you have. Some are a cleaning. Some are a repair. Some need nothing at all.

Do you have a grinder pump or septic? What the camera can and cannot see

Not every home here has a gravity sewer. Many homes in Lago Vista and The Hollows are on a grinder pump, and some homes are on septic. We ask on the first call because it changes what we do.

With a grinder pump, the line from your house to the pump tank is a normal gravity line, and the camera can inspect it. The line that leaves the pump and runs to the city main is under pressure and is not scoped the same way. If that part is the question, we test it by its pressure, its electrical draw and how the pump cycles. If your alarm is on, see grinder pump alarm repair. For service and replacement, see grinder pump service.

With septic, the camera shows the line from the house to the tank. It does not show the tank or the drain field. If the cause is a full tank, we will tell you so you can call a septic pumper instead of paying us for the wrong fix.

Whose pipe is it?

You own the sewer line on your property. The City of Lago Vista owns the public main. If we find the problem is on the city's side, we tell you and report it, and you do not pay us to fix the city's pipe. If you have a grinder pump, you also own the pump, the tank, the alarm panel and the line up to the city main.

What happens during the inspection

You call and tell us what you are seeing. Which drains are slow, whether you have a grinder pump or septic, and whether you know where your cleanout is. A cleanout is usually a capped pipe in the yard near the house. If sewage is backing up, do not open the cap.
We put the camera in. We run it through the cleanout, or tell you the options before we start if your home does not have one.
You watch. You see what the camera sees on the screen and we tell you what each thing is, how far down the line it is, and whether it matters.
You get the recording and our recommendation. We sort what we saw into three piles: needs attention now, can wait, and just so you know.
You decide. Any repair is priced in writing first and nothing starts until you say yes. If the line is blocked, see drain cleaning. If it is damaged, see sewer line repair.

Plan on about an hour. A long line, a blockage or several branches take longer.

How much does a sewer camera inspection cost?

The price depends on how we reach the line, how long it is, whether it is blocked and whether you want the grinder pump checked on the same visit. We give you the price on the phone before you schedule. A $65 trip charge applies and is credited toward the work if you go ahead. Be careful with prices you see online: they range from a couple hundred dollars to over a thousand and do not say what is included. Ask any company what you get for the price: the live video, the recording and a straight answer on what it means.

If sewage is backing up right now

Stop using water in the house: no showers, laundry or dishwasher. If sewage is coming up into a tub or floor drain, call right away. Those calls get priority. We do not dispatch overnight. If it happens after hours, stop using water and call when the office opens at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays or 8 a.m. on Saturday. See also emergency plumbing.

Where we do sewer camera inspections

We serve homes across Lago Vista, including Highland Lake Estates, Bar-K Ranches, Tessera, Lakeshore Ranch, Waterford on Lake Travis, Marshall's Point, Montechino and North Shore Colony. We also serve Jonestown, The Hollows, Point Venture and Northshore on Lake Travis, with a second shop in Lakeway, and we also serve homes across Greater Austin. Our Lago Vista shop is at 20811 Dawn Dr, Unit 706. If you think the problem is a broken water pipe instead, see leak detection and broken pipe repair.

Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to noon.

Four steps, and nothing starts until you say yes.

You Call

Tell us which drains are slow, what you are seeing, and whether you have a grinder pump or septic. We give you the price on the phone before you schedule.

We Run the Camera

We feed the camera into your line through the cleanout. If your home does not have one, we explain the options before we start. If sewage is backing up, do not open the cleanout cap.

You Watch and Get Options

You see what the camera sees and we tell you what each thing is, how far down the line it is, and whether it matters. We sort it into needs attention now, can wait, and just so you know.

You Decide

Any repair is priced in writing first, and nothing starts until you say yes. Blocked lines go to drain cleaning. Damaged lines go to sewer line repair.