You're buying a house in Barnstaple and your solicitor wants a drainage condition report before exchange. Or you've had the same drain cleared three times in eighteen months and nobody's explained why it keeps blocking. A CCTV drain survey answers both questions properly.
We send a camera through the drain and record everything. You get the footage and a written report with fault locations measured from the access point. Not a verbal summary on the doorstep.
What a Pre-Purchase Survey Actually Covers
A standard RICS homebuyer report won't tell you whether the drains are fractured, displaced, or running across a neighbour's land. Drainage sits outside its scope. Yet a collapsed lateral under a Victorian terrace in Roundswell or Bickington can cost considerably more to fix than a buyer expects, especially once they own it.
We survey the accessible drain runs, record the footage, and produce a written report formatted for your conveyancer or solicitor. If there's a fault, you know its location, its likely cause, and what repair it needs before you exchange. That's useful negotiating information.
We'll work around your solicitor's timeline. If completion is pressing, call us and we'll tell you honestly whether we can turn it around in time.
What the Camera Finds
The push-rod camera enters through the nearest access point, a manhole, inspection chamber, or rodding eye, and travels through the pipe while we log footage at surface level. We record depth, direction, and the distance to every fault we find.
Common findings in North Devon properties include:
- Root intrusion. Older streets in Pilton, Newport, and Gorwell have mature trees close to drain runs. Roots enter through joints before they cause any visible blockage.
- Displaced or collapsed pipe. Ground movement near the Taw estuary and on the slopes above Whiddon Valley affects buried drainage. There's often no surface sign until a drain fails completely.
- Fractured clay. A significant proportion of drainage in EX31 and EX32 is original clay pipe. Age and ground loading crack it.
- Defective joints. Pulled joints let in soil and groundwater, which silts the line from the inside and causes repeated slow drainage.
- Incorrect falls. Poor installation from any era means waste sits in the pipe. Jetting clears it temporarily; the camera shows you why it comes back.
After the survey you receive recorded footage of the full run, a written report with fault positions, and a clear recommendation on whether repair, relining, or monitoring is appropriate. If the drain is in good order, the report says that too.
When It's Worth Doing Outside a Property Purchase
Pre-purchase is the most common reason, but it's not the only one:
- A drain has been cleared more than once in a year without lasting effect
- Slow drainage is affecting multiple outlets in the property
- You're starting a building project and need to confirm drain positions before groundwork
- An insurer or loss adjuster has asked for a condition report
- A neighbour's drainage is suspected to be crossing your land
- You manage a commercial site in Pottington or Roundswell and need a baseline record for your maintenance schedule
Survey vs Reactive Clearance: What Each Does
| CCTV Drain Survey | High-Pressure Jetting | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows exact fault location | Yes | No |
| Suitable for conveyancers and insurers | Yes | No |
| Clears a blockage | No | Yes |
| Identifies root intrusion before it blocks | Yes | No |
| Written report issued | Yes | No |
| Needed before drain repair or relining | Yes, usually | No |
Some jobs need both. If the survey finds a significant build-up alongside a structural fault, we'll tell you what order to tackle them in.
Where We Cover
We work across Barnstaple regularly, Newport, Pilton, Sticklepath, Whiddon Valley, Westacott, Forches, Rumsam, Yeo Vale, Bickington, Pottington, Derby, and Gorwell. We also cover the surrounding villages: Landkey, Swimbridge, Fremington, Bishop's Tawton, Instow, and Braunton. Further afield, we work in Ilfracombe and South Molton too. There's no additional charge for travelling within our regular patch regardless of where your postcode falls.
---
Our engineers are uniformed and fully insured. Where a survey identifies a fault and we carry out the remedial work, that repair or relining carries a 20-year guarantee. The survey itself is priced individually, agreed on the phone before we visit, with no call-out fee.
We're on the road seven days a week, including evenings for urgent pre-exchange situations. Call 01271 440683 and we'll confirm availability and agree a price before we set off.