Sewer and Camera inspection for Austin and Central Texas
A sewer camera inspection shows you exactly what is happening inside your buried sewer line, no digging and no guessing. Lantz Home Services runs a high-resolution camera through your line, you watch the live feed with the technician, and you leave with recorded footage and a written report. In the Highland Lakes and greater Austin, we give you the exact price before any work starts. Call (512) 710-1032 to schedule, seven days a week.
Family-owned and serving central Texas since 1972, we send licensed plumbers who know local pipe, not a call-center dispatch. Lead technician Mark brings 44 years of field experience to every diagnosis.
Licenses: Master Plumber M-40190, TACLA3825C (HVAC), TECL #9010 (electrical).
Why Highland Lakes & Hill Country Homes Need a Camera Scope
This is not generic Austin plumbing. The Highland Lakes sit on limestone and expansive clay that shift with our wet-dry cycles, and that ground movement is hard on buried sewer pipe. Add mature live oaks and cedar sending roots toward every joint, and homes built across five decades of changing pipe standards, and you get exactly the failures a camera is built to find.
Around Lake Travis and Lake LBJ, the housing stock ranges from 1970s clay and cast iron laterals to newer PVC. Many communities we serve, Lago Vista, Marble Falls, Horseshoe Bay, Granite Shoals, Spicewood, Kingsland, Burnet, and Sunrise Beach Village, also mix well water, LCRA supply, and municipal service, plus seasonal and short-term lake rentals that sit empty for weeks. Lines that go unused, then get slammed during a holiday weekend, are where hidden defects surface first.
The grinder Pump factor most Austin Companies miss
Low-lying lots near Lake LBJ in Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls frequently run grinder pumps and small-diameter low-pressure sewer lines instead of gravity mains. These need to be diagnosed as a system, camera on the accessible gravity portions, then the pump, basin, and discharge line evaluated together. It is a specialty the big Austin metro chains rarely handle. We do it routinely, and we have worked these setups for decades.
What a Sewer Camera Inspection Finds
A camera scope turns a plumbing mystery into a clear picture. In Hill Country homes, we most often find:
- Tree root intrusion pushing through joints and growing inside the pipe
- Cracks and fractures from ground movement in limestone and clay soil
- Bellied lines — low spots where the pipe has sagged and waste pools instead of flowing
- Corrosion and scale narrowing the channel in older cast iron
- Offset or misaligned joints from settling
- Collapsed clay or Orangeburg pipe in older lakefront and rural properties
Just as important, the camera tells us whether a recurring clog is a one-time blockage or a structural defect. That distinction is the difference between a quick clear and a costly repair, and it is why we never recommend a fix we cannot show you on screen.
Signs you need a sewer camera inspection
- Recurring clogs that come back after every clearing
- Slow drains across the whole house, not just one fixture
- Sewage backups or gurgling toilets and drains
- Foul odors inside or in the yard
- Soggy or sunken spots in the yard over the sewer path
- Buying a Highland Lakes or Austin home — a standard inspection almost never scopes the sewer line
Why Choose Lantz Home Services
- 50+ years, family-owned, serving the Highland Lakes since 1972 — we are not a metro chain parachuting in
- Mark, 44 years of field experience, including grinder pumps and low-pressure lakefront systems
- Fully licensed and local: Master Plumber M-40190, TACLA3825C, TECL #9010
- You see the feed and keep the footage — live view plus a recorded copy and written report
- Seven days a week, built around lake-season and short-term-rental scheduling
- GreenSky financing available if the scope turns up a repair
What to Expect during an inspection
1. Locate access. We find or reach your cleanout; if there is none, we discuss options before pulling a toilet.
2. Run the camera. A high-resolution, self-leveling camera travels the line while you watch the live feed with the technician.
3. Diagnose on screen. We pinpoint and, where needed, locate the depth of any defect so a repair is targeted, not exploratory.
4. Report and options. You get recorded footage, a written report, and clear next-step options with honest pricing — never pressure.
When you need plumbing, HVAC, or electrical service in Austin, TX, trust the local team dedicated to serving Central Texas homeowners with dependable service and professional care.
Sewer Camera Inspection: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a sewer camera inspection before buying a home near lake travis or lake LBJ?
Yes. Many Highland Lakes homes are 30 to 50 years old, built on limestone and expansive clay that stress buried pipe, and a standard home inspection almost never includes the sewer line. A camera scope of the lateral shows cracks, root intrusion, bellied sections, and collapsed clay or cast iron before you close, so a five-figure repair does not become your problem on move-in day.
Can a sewer camera inspect a grinder pump or low pressure line on a lakefront lot?
Yes, with the right approach. Many low-lying lots near Lake LBJ in Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls use grinder pumps and small-diameter low-pressure sewer lines instead of gravity mains. Lantz Home Services inspects the accessible gravity portions with a camera and diagnoses the pump, basin, and discharge line as a system. Scott, our lead technician, has 44 years of field experience with these setups, which most Austin metro companies rarely encounter.
What problems can a sewer camera inspection find in aHill COuntry homes?
A camera scope reveals tree root intrusion at pipe joints, cracks and fractures from ground movement in limestone and clay soil, bellied low spots where waste pools, corrosion and scale in older cast iron, offset or misaligned joints, and full collapses in aging clay or Orangeburg pipe. It also confirms whether a recurring clog is a one-time blockage or a structural defect that needs a targeted repair.
Will I get to see the video footage from my sewer inspection?
Yes. You watch the live camera feed alongside your technician during the inspection, and Lantz Home Services provides a recorded copy plus a written report with findings and clear next-step options. You keep the footage, which is especially useful for real estate transactions, insurance claims, and comparing the line's condition over time.
How long does a sewer camera inspection take?
Most inspections take about one hour. Homes with an easy-to-reach cleanout go faster; homes without a cleanout, or lines with an active clog that must be cleared first, take longer. Lantz Home Services serves the Highland Lakes and greater Austin seven days a week, so scheduling around lake-season occupancy is straightforward.