KNOWLEDGE GUIDE — CCTV INSPECTION CAMERAS
ALL MAJOR CCTV INSPECTION BRANDS
NEW ENGLAND · TEXAS
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Equipment Knowledge · Pipeline Inspection

CCTV Inspection Cameras — The Complete Guide

The camera systems that let crews see inside live sewer lines — how the technology works, what separates the tiers, and how to buy for your pipe network.

01

Why Cities Put Cameras In Pipes

You cannot repair what you cannot see. Inspection cameras turn a guess into a condition assessment — the legal record of every asset in the collection system.

Condition

NASSCO PACP

Standardized defect coding turns footage into engineering decisions and defensible capital plans.

Pre-Rehab

Find The Problem

Before lining or excavation, the camera locates the defect precisely — offset joints, roots, collapses, infiltration.

Pre-Purchase

Due Diligence

Buying a property or system? Camera survey tells you what you're actually buying.

Post-Rehab

Prove The Repair

Re-inspection verifies lateral reinstatements and liner quality.

Legal

Evidence

Timestamped, distance-counted footage settles responsibility disputes between municipalities and contractors.

Every Pipe

90mm And Up

From laterals to large interceptors — there is a camera class for every diameter.

02

The Three Camera Classes

Every inspection system on the market — regardless of brand — falls into three mechanical classes. The pipe decides which you need.

Push Cameras

150mm–300mm Typical

Fiberglass push rod or flat cable carries a fixed-focus head into laterals and small mains. Fast, one-person operation, affordable.

Crawlers

150mm+ Mains

Wheeled or tracked tractor drives a pan/tilt camera through large mains — the workhorse of municipal CCTV.

Zoom Inlet Units

Large Interceptors

Truck- or pole-mounted zoom cameras inspect large-diameter pipes and manhole-to-manhole reaches without entry.

03

Inside A Camera Head

What the lens assembly actually contains — the engineering we respect and the parts our repair division fixes every week.

Sapphire Or Glass Lens

Scratch Resistance

The window survives grit, grease and jetting splash.

LED Ring

Adjustable Lighting

Light output adapts to pipe diameter and wall reflectance.

Sensor + Focus

Image Quality

Fixed-focus for push heads; auto-focus on premium crawler heads.

Sonde

33Hz or 512Hz

A transmitter coil lets surface crews locate the camera head exactly — the single most-used feature in lateral work.

Seals + Housings

Water Integrity

Rated for submersion in live sewage — and the first casualty when a unit isn't maintained.

Connector

The Weak Point

Where cable meets head — and the repair our bench sees most.

04

Crawlers — Traction Is Everything

The crawler is only as good as its grip. In greasy pipe, stock wheels slip and burn drive motors.

Wheels

Standard Rubber

Fine for clean mains, marginal in grease and sludge.

Gritted Wheels

Carbide Aftermarket

Premium aftermarket wheels — TruGrit Traction (a line we carry) built carbide-grit wheels that exceed OEM specs. Born from field frustration with greasy pipes.

Tracks

For Large Pipe

Tracked versions spread load in big interceptors and soft invert sludge.

Climbing

Obstacle Geometry

Wheel diameter, articulation and ground clearance decide whether the crawler clears offset joints.

Traction Math

More Footage Per Setup

Slip = lost runs + cable strain + motor wear. Grip = full passes, first try.

We Fix + Upgrade

Both Divisions

Our repair division replaces and upgrades traction while our sales division stocks the aftermarket parts.

05

Push Cameras — Speed And Reach

For laterals and small-bore work, the push camera is the fastest tool on the truck.

Rod Types

Fiberglass vs Flat Cable

Fiberglass pushes stiffer and farther; flat reel cable handles tight bends in smaller pipe.

Head Diameter

Choose To Pipe

Match the head to the smallest bend you must negotiate — 90mm laterals need the compact heads.

Sonde Use

Locate The Head

Surface locator finds the sonde — potholing, tap location, defect mapping.

Counters

Footage Accuracy

Rod-length counters (mechanical or electronic) feed the inspection report — accuracy is compliance.

Typical Systems

What We Sell

Minicam SOLO PRO+ is the reference class of the category — 1991-built UK engineering, now part of a global group with US service.

Repair Note

Heads + Rods

We repair heads, re-terminate rods, fix counters — every brand.

06

Reporting — The Video Is The Product

Raw footage without a report is a souvenir. Coded inspection data is an asset-management decision.

WinCan

Industry Standard

Most systems embed WinCan or export to it — our Minicam line ships WinCan-integrated.

PACP Coding

NASSCO Standard

Certified coding turns observations into comparable, auditable condition data.

Export

PDF + Data + Video

Council-ready deliverables from every run.

Archiving

The Record

Storage of timestamped inspections supports warranty claims and capital planning.

GPS + Counters

Locate Every Defect

Position + footage + sonde = a map of the problem, not just a picture.

We Advise

Reporting Setup

Part of every system quote we deliver.

07

Buying A System — The Right Questions

How our sales division specifies an inspection package.

Pipe Inventory

Diameter Mix

Your network's diameter histogram decides push vs crawler vs both. Bring your GIS export — we do this math with you.

Crew + Van

Form Factor

Van-fit vs trailer vs portable — depends on vehicles and crew size.

Environment

Explosive Areas?

ATEX-certified crawlers (like the Minicam line offers) cover gas-risk environments — specify it up front.

Power

Remote Sites

Portable power packs (like the Proteus Power Pack, ~5 hours) free you from generators.

Budget Tiers

Honest Guidance

We sell new authorized lines; we also tell you when a repair of your current unit beats a new purchase. Same company, no pressure.

Training + Support

What's Included

Delivery includes operator training; our repair division supports everything afterward.

08

Brands — With Respect

The inspection market has excellent engineers on every side. We represent some lines as an authorized dealer and service all of them.

Minicam

Authorized Territory

Proteus crawlers + SOLO PRO+ push systems — 1991 UK engineering, ISO 9001, ATEX options, Manchester assembly. We proudly represent them in CT/RI + western & northern MA.

All major CCTV inspection brands

Service, Respect

Not our dealer lines in this territory — but our repair division services them all, and our knowledge pages treat every brand's engineering with respect.

Their Media

Their Machines

Manufacturer-published images only on our pages — no mockups passed off as real equipment.

One Standard

Honesty

We say "authorized dealer" where it's true, "independent repair" where it's true — nothing else.

09

Your Fleet Has One Job. So Do We.

Equipment that works — sold by people who repair it, supported by people who answer the phone.