CCTV survey of pipes and drainage

Do you have a problem with drains that block constantly, water draining slowly, floor coverings settling, or suspicions of a fractured vertical riser? Before undertaking major building work and breaking open, it is critical to understand exactly what is happening inside the pipeline. In modern plumbing practice, non-destructive internal inspection is the only way to reach an accurate diagnosis.

ProKanal EOOD offers professional CCTV survey of pipes and drains in Sofia and across the country. We have the capacity and the specialised equipment to survey pipelines from Ø40 to Ø1500 in diameter. We use latest-generation digital endoscopic systems as well as heavy, powerful robotic cameras at high resolution. Our expert records and analyses the inside of every building, industrial and street installation, finding the exact source of the problem without any destruction whatsoever.

When is a CCTV drainage survey necessary?

Camera inspection is the most powerful means of non-destructive testing in the plumbing sector. Instead of costly investigation through random excavation or breaking open, digital diagnosis makes it possible to look directly inside the pipeline. Our accumulated technical experience shows that camera inspection is essential in the following critical situations:

• Recurring or complicated blockages: If a drain blocks regularly every few weeks or months, standard clearing solves the problem only temporarily. The camera shows immediately whether there is a deeper structural defect (a sagging pipe or ingrown roots, for instance).
• Water draining slowly throughout the building: When water drains with difficulty from several traps at once, it is a clear sign of a restriction in the main horizontal riser or a blockage in the street connection.
• The appearance of unexplained damp, mould and leaks: Where a fractured vertical riser inside plasterboard boxing is suspected, recording from the inside saves breaking open and demolishing the bathroom.
• Settling of ground, paving or surfacing: If the ground around the building or the warehouse base begins to sink, this is often a sign of a fractured underground pipe washing out the soil beneath the surfacing.
• Before buying a property or insuring it: Recording the drainage protects you from hidden defects and costly subsequent repairs to your “new” home or industrial base.
• Handover of new sites (Act 16): Construction firms and investors need a CCTV survey to prove to the state acceptance commissions that the underground infrastructure has been laid correctly, has no deformation and is clear of building debris.

Key benefits of a CCTV survey

Investing in a professional survey with push-rod cameras and self-propelled robots (from Ø40 to Ø1500) brings immediate financial and practical advantages:

• Saves enormous sums on breaking open and excavation: This is the greatest benefit. Instead of digging up the whole garden or smashing the bathroom tiles by trial and error, you understand exactly where the problem is and open only that particular section (usually within 1 square metre).
• Precise location through Radiodetection: Our cameras carry transmitters. When the camera finds a fracture or a hole, we stop it there and mark the point at the surface with a ground receiver to centimetre accuracy, establishing the exact burial depth as well.
• Complete clarity without guesswork: You receive crystal-clear recorded footage (on USB or in the cloud) at high resolution. Our expert certified in Germany produces a detailed technical report with coded defects and pipe gradients.
• Official technical report: The report from ProKanal EOOD documents the fault found, with recorded footage, coded defects and technical commentary.
• Protecting health and a clean environment: Finding hidden cracks in time stops waste water seeping into the foundations of the building. This prevents the development of mould and mildew and the appearance of unpleasant smells at home, in the office, in schools or in nurseries.
• Minimal disruption for business and home: The survey proceeds exceptionally quickly, cleanly and quietly. There is no need to halt production processes in factories or evacuate staff in retail premises and warehouses.

What we find inside drains and pipes

Our high-resolution cameras reveal hidden defects in the range from Ø40 to Ø1500 that conventional methods miss:

• Fractures, cracks and deformation: We visualise structural damage to the walls of vitrified clay, PVC, concrete, reinforced concrete or cast-iron pipes.
• Ingrown tree roots: A common problem in external drains and main collectors, where roots penetrate through the joints and block drainage completely.
• Displaced or sagging joints: We find the places where pipes have separated as a result of ground settlement, which leads to hidden leaks.
• Building debris and deposits: We locate residues of concrete, adhesives and dried plaster, or thick layers of hard scale, encrustation, silt and grease built up over the years.

Modern equipment for CCTV inspection from Ø40 to Ø1500

To inspect perfectly both the fine pipes in a bathroom and enormous trunk collectors, ProKanal EOOD has a full range of professional mobile CCTV survey systems, matched to the diameter of the run:

1. Push-rod (endoscopic) cameras for narrow spaces (Ø40 – Ø300)

These cameras are fixed to a flexible fibreglass rod and inserted by hand. They are ideal for the diagnosis of traps, vertical risers, toilet pans, internal bathroom and kitchen drains, and narrower internal and external building pipes up to Ø300. The camera heads are fully waterproof (IP68), fitted with strong LED lighting and a self-levelling function (the image always stays upright on the display).

2. Powerful self-propelled robotic cameras for trunk and industrial networks (Ø300 – Ø1500)

For wider horizontal runs, main collectors, industrial networks and large-scale street drainage from Ø300 upwards (all the way to Ø1500) we use remotely operated robots (crawler cameras). Because large pipes require a stable, heavy drive, the robot comes into play from exactly Ø300 in diameter.

It moves on its own wheels inside the pipe, has a powerful lifting mechanism (pantograph) and a rotating, tilting head (pan and tilt). This lets us carry out a detailed 360-degree inspection of every joint, crack and lateral connection even in the largest and most remote collectors.

3. Built-in transmitters for tracing

All our cameras are fitted with locating transmitters (sondes). If the camera or the robot reaches a fractured point or roots, we stop them there. Through our Radiodetection ground receiver we find the exact magnetic signal of the sonde through soil, concrete or asphalt. In this way we mark with absolute precision the point at the surface where excavation or repair must take place.

Why put your trust in ProKanal EOOD?

• German standard of analysis: The recording, the software reporting and the coding of defects are carried out to European norms by our certified expert.
• Capacity for any scale: Only professional firms with heavy industrial equipment can survey pipes up to Ø1500 and operate robots in runs from Ø300 upwards. We are fully equipped for municipal collectors and factories.
• Full footage and report: The client receives a recording on digital media (USB or cloud) with the metreage marked, the pipe gradient and detailed technical commentary.
• National coverage: We are based in Sofia, but our mobile stations travel for CCTV surveys of large industrial sites, factories, warehouses, schools, nurseries and residential buildings across Bulgaria.