The CCTV drain survey glossary below explains the words most often used for direction, pipe features and visible defects. Read each term beside the footage and its measured location.
Know where the camera is travelling
Upstream and downstream. Upstream points towards the source of flow; downstream is the direction wastewater normally travels. Use the CCTV drain survey glossary beside the footage rather than reading a defect code without its location.
A survey distance is useful only when it names the chamber or opening used by the camera and the direction travelled from that point.
A lateral is a branch entering the surveyed drain. Its measured position matters because a continuous liner temporarily covers that opening during installation.
Pipe condition terms
Open joint and displacement. An open joint has a visible gap where adjoining pipe sections meet. Displacement is a step or offset between their ends.
Deformation and collapse. Deformation is a change from the pipe’s intended profile. A collapse has lost its usable route or support.
Root ingress, scale and invert. Root ingress means roots entering through an opening. Scale is hard build-up on the wall. The invert is the lowest internal part of the pipe.
Terminology cannot make missing footage complete. If the distance counter resets, the direction changes without explanation or an obstruction stops the camera, ask the surveyor to identify the uninspected part before anyone designs a repair around it. Check what the full survey should show and carry its locations into the quotation checklist.