Sewer camera inspection in Chantilly.
A sewer camera inspection in Chantilly is $89 added to a visit, or $500 to $1,700 on its own. In 20152, it’s the proof Loudoun Water wants.
- Camera before any dig
- Priced in writing first
- Dedicated plumbing team
Book a sewer camera inspection
20151’s plastic, Greenbriar’s older pipe, and Loudoun Water’s rules in 20152.
Most of 20151 went up in the 1980s and 90s: the typical owner’s house dates from 1987, after plastic had taken over underground, so the line to the street is usually PVC. What can make a Chantilly sewer repair costly is the ground. Fairfax County’s soil guide says the soil over the red shale and sandstone of the county’s west end is often shallow, 2 to 10 feet to bedrock, so a trench here can hit rock. Know the exact spot before anyone digs.
Greenbriar is older: its typical owner’s house was built in 1970, and close to 6 in 10 predate 1980. A line from then is usually cast iron or clay, and a late 1960s or early 70s house can still drain through Orangeburg, a fiber pipe that softens and goes oval with age. Those yards have had fifty-plus years to grow trees, and Fairfax County’s wastewater office says roots work into open joints and cracks, and can break a line.
On the 20151 side the private line is yours right up to the county sewer, connection included. When it backs up, the county’s 24-hour wastewater line sends an inspector to its own pipe. If that’s running fine, the trouble is in your lateral, and the camera shows what it is (roots, a break, a dip) and how far out. If a plumber cuts roots from your lateral, the county asks you to call so it can clean its main too.
About half the Chantilly addresses we work at are on the Loudoun side, where the mail still says Chantilly. In 20152 the building sewer is yours, but only Loudoun Water may repair or replace the stretch in the public right of way. If a plumber finds the defect there, Loudoun Water wants photos or video with measurements showing where, then fixes its portion at no added cost to you. A camera inspection is that proof.
What’s under the yards across Chantilly.
Census figures for the owner-occupied homes in each place, and the sewer pipe houses that age usually have.
| Place | Median home built | Most homes are | Heated with | The sewer line you usually find |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Riding | 2006 | single-family houses, about 5 in 10 | gas, about 8 in 10 | PVC throughout, worth a look before the house changes hands. |
| Chantilly | 1987 | single-family houses, about 6 in 10 | gas, about 5 in 10 | PVC to the street, mostly; a settled trench can leave a sag. |
Chantilly houses, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 survey, owner-occupied homes unless it says otherwise.
20151, the Fairfax County side
- Median home built1987 Census
- Built before 1980about 2 in 10 Census
- Built since 2000about 2 in 10 Census
- Most homes aresingle-family houses, about 6 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 5 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 2 in 10 Census
- 1980s and 90s houses mostly run PVC to the street, where a sag in settled backfill is the thing to rule out.
20152, the South Riding side
- Median home built2006 Census
- Built before 1980hardly any Census
- Built since 2000about 8 in 10 Census
- Most homes aresingle-family houses, about 5 in 10 Census
- Heated withgas, about 8 in 10 Census
- Rentedabout 2 in 10 Census
- Newer houses run PVC throughout, so a camera here is checking the grade and the joints, not the pipe wall.
What a sewer camera inspection costs in Chantilly.
Why we’re at the house decides which price you pay. On its own, the line often has to be cleared before the camera can see anything, and that’s what moves the number.
- Sewer camera inspection, added to a visit$89
- Sewer camera inspection on its own$500 to $1,700
A locator on the camera head marks the spot and its depth on the ground, so if something needs fixing you know where. If the line is fine, nobody talks about digging.
Comfort+ membership is $199 a year for four visits: a dryer vent cleaning, a water heater flush with a sewer camera inspection, a heating maintenance visit and a cooling maintenance visit.
When to put a camera down the line in Chantilly.
Your drains back up, the neighbors’ don’t
Nearly half of South Riding’s homes are townhouses. Ask next door: if their drains run fine while yours back up, the trouble is most likely your own line, not the main, and that’s where the camera goes.
A newer house nobody has looked under
Plastic pipe doesn’t rust, but the trench it was laid in can settle and leave a sag that holds water and paper. If the line has never had a camera in it, nobody knows.
Water comes up the floor drain
When the washer empties and water rises in the basement floor drain, or a toilet gurgles while a sink runs, the main line isn’t carrying it all away. The camera shows why.
How to pick the best plumber for a sewer camera inspection in Chantilly.
Questions to ask anybody who offers to put a camera down your line, us included.
Do they run a jetter, or only a snake?
Loudoun Water recommends power jetter equipment for clearing a building sewer, as the most effective way through a blockage. A jetted line also gives the camera a clean look at every joint.
Will they show you what the camera finds?
Ask to see it and to keep a copy. “It’s roots” with nothing to show for it is a guess, and a guess is a bad reason to dig up a yard.
Do they line and dig, or only one?
A company that only digs tends to see a dig, and one that only lines tends to see a liner. We do both, so the footage decides, not the truck.
What our customers say.
Arrived within an hour on a Sunday morning and provided great service.
Called SwiftPro around 5 am and their electronic system scheduled an appointment for us same day.
We had Tyson out for our main line leaking underground, he explained the scope of work for replacement and set great expectations. They had the job done in a very timely manner and I couldn’t ask for more professionalism than he provided!
5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. Read them on our reviews page.
Sewer camera questions from Chantilly.
My Greenbriar line needs its roots cut every year. Should I replace it?
Not on that alone. Fairfax County says continuing root trouble may need cutting periodically, and names new plastic pipe as one way to keep roots out. A camera after the cutting shows whether they’re getting in at one joint or all along the line, and that decides between fixing a section and replacing the lateral.
Is a camera worth it on a newer South Riding house?
Yes, when a drain keeps slowing, or a backup seems to start past your yard. The typical South Riding owner’s house dates from 2006, so age alone isn’t a reason.
How much does a sewer camera inspection cost in Chantilly?
$89 added to a visit we’re already making, $500 to $1,700 booked on its own. The difference is clearing: a visit just for the camera often has to clear the line first.
Should I get a sewer camera inspection before I buy a house?
If the house is older or has big trees out front, yes. A standard home inspection usually doesn’t include one, and in most of Northern Virginia the line from the house toward the street is the owner’s to fix.
More from SwiftPro in Chantilly.
More from SwiftPro in Chantilly
See the line before anybody digs.
Call, or book online and pick a window. You get the price in writing first, and if the camera says the line is fine, that’s what we’ll tell you.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is a licensed, BBB Accredited (A rating), independently owned heating, cooling and plumbing company in Chantilly, serving Chantilly and the rest of Northern Virginia. Virginia contractor license #2705192276. 5.0 stars across 884 Google reviews. SwiftPro maintains a dedicated HVAC team and a dedicated plumbing team.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, 4230 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151, (703) 997-9757. Book online, read our reviews, or see every town we serve.