remote video camera for inspecting inside pipes

tomseeley

I need a way to look through a small hole to see what's below part of my floor slab besides just dirt. I know the slab covers access to my underground septic tank, but I don't know how deep the tank cover is, below the underside of the slab. The previous owner of the house thought it was perfectly logical to jackhammer a hole in the slab anytime he needed to pump out the tank, and then fill the hole back up with new concrete. Now I have to do that, and I want to know ahead of time what I'll find when I bash the hole in the slab.

I think I know how to drill a hole through the slab, but I don't know how or where to find a small camera that I could then lower through a hole, maybe 1" in diameter, for example, to inspect what's below the slab other than just dirt.

A colleague of mine made mention of something he says will do the job, but I don't remember exactly what he was talking about and I don't remember where he said I could find one. In addition to trying to track him down, I thouhgt I'd ask on this board, too, to see if anyone can suggest something.

And I'm curious if plumbers, in general, might have such equipment, so that I could perhaps pay one to use his equipment for me, after I drill the hole. I have no particular need to OWN a camera, so renting one, so to speak, might be an option.

DangerMouse

try local tool rentals and plumbing supplies to see if they rent a plumber's cam.
or if you know anyone on the SWAT team....

DM

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jerryh3

Something like this?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=66550

DangerMouse

exactly jerry, but he wants to borrow, not buy. but ya gotta admit, $100.00 ain't too bad!
might be worth it just to have it around?

DM

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jerryh3

I know. At $100 it's a great price. He's probably looking at a third of that just to rent it, so it's hard to pass it up. Lot's of other uses other than this project. It's next on my list.

DangerMouse

have to hide it from the kids though, they'd likely find way more ways to use it than we would.... heh heh

DM

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Bob Mariani

cheap tools do not work at a professional level. Maybe you can not see sh*t with one of these. Rent one if you have the tools and skills to fix whatever you find. If fixing a problem also means more tool rentals then get a plumbing that has the tools to do the job. It will be cheaper in the long run.

jerryh3

I forgot we have real professionals around here. Didn't mean to insult anyone. Maybe it will work properly. Only one way to tell.

DangerMouse

you could always go buy one from HF and if it does not do the trick, just take it back.
or just use it and take it back even if it DOES work, but of course, that is dishonest.
besides, it it DOES work out ok, as jerry and i said, it'd be a handy thing to have around at that price!

DM

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Bob Mariani

No insult. Informative statement only. Many sites and magazines rate tools. You will find that in every case cheap tools will no last nor do a good job. Sometimes you need to compare your need to the task to make the determination as to what will work for you. But in any case there is no reason a DIYer should not strive to do professional quality work. In the case of a camara a cheap one will most likely not give enough light and quality to see clearly what you are looking for. Even expensive ones takes some practice to get the results you want.

DangerMouse

personally, i'd go the "new" route before renting a plumber's cam.... i KNOW where THAT camera's been.....

hmmm.....i wonder if that thing has a monitor out to record what's under/inside floors/pipes?
it doesn't say, but it looks like there's holes for pinjacks on the side, so maybe?

DM

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jerryh3

I agree. You get what you pay for. For tools that I know I'm only going to use a few times I'll go with the low end. But, for the core tools I always try to buy the best I can afford. For $99 I would give it a shot. I looked at the manual and it seems like it has adjustable LEDs on the end so it may do the job.

jerryh3

Yes. It has a monitor output.

joed

I think you may be wasting your time. There most likely is not a hollow space under the concrete. You wan't be able to send a camera down and see anything.
I say just bust it open and then make a removable access cover of some sort.

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jerryh3

Well, this thread got me moving and I picked one up on the way home from work. After playing around with it for a little while it seems like it works very well. I'll do some more "testing" later and let everyone know how it works.