Black & White Facilities / Service brief
CCTV Drain Surveys
A camera survey gives a facilities team evidence of what is inside a drain before money is committed to repair or a programme is agreed. Say whether the survey is needed to map the route, to record visible condition or to support a specific repair decision. The symptoms reported help set the scope; they do not replace the survey itself.
Overview
A survey records the visible internal condition of a run. It does not clear a blockage, test whether the pipe holds water or repair anything it finds.
Our full service catalogue, including every individual service, is available across every listed sector and location. For one site or several, we agree the scope, access and programme around the buildings concerned.
What the work can include
The agreed scope covers camera inspection of reachable runs, a reference for each route, the footage and a written condition report. The instruction names the runs to survey, where footage is expected to stop, the repair decisions the report must inform and what is supplied or tested at sign-off. Repairs, specialist design, further testing or replacement sit outside it unless written in.
On completion the client holds the runs surveyed, the limits of the footage and the decisions the report supports, with any limitation, interface and recommended next action.
Important decisions
The central decision is whether the visible condition on the footage supports the action being considered, whether cleaning, lining or a monitoring interval. Align that with the site's operating constraints and the client's route for approving spend.
Before we visit
Ahead of the visit, gather drainage plans, earlier footage, blockage history, chamber locations and what the report is for. Across an estate, list each site separately and keep asset or area references consistent between visits, so installations are never confused.
Where a route is shared with another occupier, confirm permission to survey it before the crew is booked. Send the chamber locations and the question the survey must settle with the instruction.
How the work proceeds
The sequence is to fix the question and runs, confirm access, survey each accessible section, note where the camera could not go and tie each finding to a next step. The handover then lets the facilities manager choose between cleaning, repair or a further survey.
What affects cost and timing
Price and duration depend on length surveyed, how easily chambers are reached, whether cleaning or tracing is needed for a clear picture and the report detail required. For a managed site or estate, state the operating window, access contact and shutdown limits.
Sector and property applications
Offices, schools, retail units and industrial premises each set their own conditions on chamber access, run referencing and the report's intended use. The sector directory shows how those vary by site type.
Local coverage
The service area covers Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley, with sites in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick, Morpeth, Hexham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland. On a multi-site instruction, hold each site's surveyed runs, footage limits and repair decisions in its own record. Every location covered.
Frequently asked questions
Can the camera survey a run that is fully blocked?
Rarely. An obstruction tends to stop the camera and hide the pipe beyond, so clearing or extra access usually comes first, and the report must flag any section never seen. Across an estate, keep each site's runs, footage limits and decisions in separate records so the next instruction is unambiguous.
Does a CCTV survey confirm that a drain is watertight?
It does not. The camera shows what is visible inside the pipe, not whether it holds water; if watertightness is the question, a separate test must be specified. Where the survey touches occupied areas or live operations, settle access, shutdowns and retained-contractor interfaces before it goes in the diary.
Will the report pinpoint where a defect is?
For a defect the camera can see, yes, because the footage is tied to the run, direction and distance recorded. Where the route is uncertain, tracing or extra access may be needed first. The completion record should say what was covered, what could not be finished and what follow-up is outstanding.
Does the survey include the repair?
No. Its purpose is to supply the evidence a repair decision rests on. Repair, lining or replacement is scoped and authorised separately from those findings. On planned programmes, use each finding to decide whether another survey or remedial work joins the schedule.
Knowledge and guidance
The guides on what a CCTV survey involves and why blockages recur explain how visible condition relates to the decision the survey must support. The service assessment applies that to the site, with operating duty, access and the client's approval route in view.
Related content and enquiry
Related pages for this service are Drainage and Wastewater, Drain Cleaning and Maintenance and Planned Preventative Maintenance. See also all services, maintenance, projects, sectors and locations.
Contact Black & White Facilities with the site or estate, the runs to survey, limits of any existing footage, the decisions the report must support, records held and operating constraints. From that we settle how we work with the site team and what the scope covers; timing and outcome are not assumed in advance.
Discuss the scope
Tell us what needs attention.
Share the site, the issue and any access requirements so we can discuss the next step.