A sewer inspection point is a capped opening that lets a camera or cleaning cable into the drain; in Canada it is usually called a cleanout. Most houses have one on the main building drain near where it leaves the basement, often at the foot of the stack or in the floor. Without one, a camera can enter through a pulled toilet or a roof vent. A plumber can add or relocate a cleanout, normally under a permit.
- Cleanout, inspection point, inspection opening, rodding eye and inspection chamber all describe access into a drain; the names change by country, not the idea.
- In most Canadian houses the main cleanout sits on the building drain inside the front or street-side basement wall.
- A toilet pull is a workable entry for a camera, but it adds a tight bend and can shorten reach.
- Cleanouts can be added, raised or relocated, but they must stay accessible; burying one behind drywall creates a problem for every future visit.
- A seized cleanout plug in cast iron is a job for a plumber, because forcing it can crack the fitting.
01 /What is a sewer inspection point, chamber or shaft?
A sewer inspection point is any purpose-built opening that gives a camera or cleaning tool a way into a drain without cutting the pipe. The term comes up in searches because different countries use different words for the same idea. Canadian and American plumbers say cleanout. Australian and New Zealand plumbing uses inspection opening or inspection point. In the United Kingdom, a small capped access is a rodding eye, and a larger buried box where drains meet is an inspection chamber.
| Term | Where you hear it | What it is | Nearest Canadian equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanout | Canada and the United States | A capped or plugged fitting on a drain for cleaning and inspection | Cleanout |
| Inspection opening or inspection point | Australia and New Zealand | A capped riser or fitting on a drain, often in the yard | Cleanout or exterior cleanout |
| Inspection shaft | Australia and some older references | A vertical riser from a buried junction up to a cap at ground level | Exterior cleanout riser |
| Rodding eye | United Kingdom | A sealed access at the end or bend of a drain for rods | Cleanout |
| Inspection chamber | United Kingdom and elsewhere | A shallow buried box with a cover where drains join; not for entry | Rare in Canadian houses; closest is a private manhole on larger sites |
| Manhole or maintenance hole | Everywhere | A large structure a person can enter, on mains and large private systems | Manhole; confined space, not a homeowner access |
Covers sold for one country's inspection openings will not necessarily fit another's pipe sizes or threads. If you are replacing a lost or cracked cleanout plug in Canada, match the pipe material and size of the fitting it screws or presses into, and use a plug rated for drain use.
02 /Where is the sewer cleanout in a Canadian house?
The main sewer cleanout in a Canadian house is usually on the building drain, close to where the pipe passes through the foundation wall toward the street or lane. Look first at the foot of the main stack, then along the basement wall that faces the municipal main. The figure shows the common positions.
- Follow the main stack down
The large vertical drain pipe, usually cast iron in older houses and black ABS in newer ones, ends at the building drain. A Y-fitting with a threaded plug near its base is a common cleanout location.
- Check the street-side wall
Walk the basement wall closest to the street or lane where the main runs. A plug set flush in the floor, or a short riser with a cap, often sits within a metre or two of that wall.
- Look under and behind things
Cleanouts end up under stairs, behind furnaces and water heaters, under carpet or a loose floor panel, and inside storage rooms. A small square access panel in a finished wall or floor is a strong clue.
- Look outside
Some houses, especially newer builds and houses with past lateral repairs, have an exterior cleanout: a capped vertical pipe near the foundation or part way across the front yard.
- Ask and search records
Ask the previous owner or your home inspector, and check renovation or plumbing permit records with your municipality. In Calgary, 311 is the starting point for records questions.
Some older houses have a building trap, sometimes called a house trap or running trap: a U-shaped fitting on the building drain with two plugs set in the basement floor. It was installed to stop sewer gas and pests from the main entering the house. Its two openings can serve as camera access, but the trap itself blocks most camera heads, so an operator usually enters on the downstream side to reach the lateral.
03 /Can you move a sewer inspection point or add a new one?
Yes. A plumber can add a cleanout where none exists, relocate one that is buried or awkward, or extend an exterior riser when the ground level changes. Work on the drainage system normally needs a plumbing permit, and the National Plumbing Code of Canada, as adopted by each province, sets out where cleanouts are required and how accessible they must be. Your plumber and permit office apply those rules to your house.
| Change | What it involves | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Add an interior cleanout on exposed pipe | Cut in a fitting on the building drain or stack | Pipe material and condition at the cut; old cast iron may need a longer section replaced |
| Add a cleanout under the slab | Cut and remove concrete, fit the cleanout, patch the floor | Best done while a basement is unfinished |
| Add an exterior cleanout | Excavate to the lateral, install a fitting and a riser to grade | Utility locates before digging; depth and frost; lawn, driveway or tree roots in the way |
| Raise or lower an exterior riser | Extend or shorten the riser with proper fittings | Keep the cap visible and at grade; do not bury it under landscaping |
| Relocate a cleanout from behind new finishes | Move the access or install an access panel | Access panels are far cheaper than relocating pipe |
Price ranges for adding a cleanout are in the sewer inspection cost guide. The case for doing it is simple: every future camera inspection and cleaning becomes quicker, cleaner and less likely to involve a toilet pull.
04 /Can you sewer scope through a toilet?
Yes, a sewer can be scoped through a toilet, but the camera goes in through the floor flange after the toilet is removed, not through the bowl. The trapway inside the porcelain is too narrow and twisted for a camera head. With the toilet off, the camera drops through the closet bend, runs along the toilet branch to the stack or building drain, and continues to the main.
- Shut off and drain the toilet
Close the supply valve, flush, and sponge out the remaining water from the tank and bowl.
- Remove the toilet
Undo the closet bolts, lift the toilet straight up, and set it on a protected surface. The old wax ring is scraped off.
- Block sewer gas while working
The open flange is plugged with a rag or test plug between steps so gas does not enter the room.
- Run the camera
The head goes down the flange; the counter is zeroed at the flange, which the report should state.
- Reset with a new seal
A new wax ring or waxless seal is used, the flange and bolts are checked, and the toilet is reset level and test-flushed.
Because the zero point moves, distances from a toilet-flange scope do not match distances from a cleanout scope of the same line. Keep that in mind when comparing an old report with a new one. The risks of a toilet reset, such as a slow leak at a poorly seated seal, are covered in can a sewer scope cause problems.
05 /What about roof vents and floor drains?
Roof vents and floor drains are fallback entries. A roof vent gives a straight drop down the stack into the building drain without opening anything indoors, but it means roof work, which is unsafe on icy or steep roofs and is often ruled out in a Canadian winter. Vent pipes can also have offsets and fittings that stop the camera.
A floor drain almost always has a trap below the grate that stops a camera head within a short distance. Some floor drain traps have their own small cleanout plug, which lets the camera bypass the trap and look along the branch, but that usually shows the floor drain line rather than the main lateral. It is useful when the floor drain itself is the problem, such as after a backup. For which access fits which question, see how a sewer camera inspection works.
06 /What if the cleanout is seized, buried or missing?
If the cleanout is seized, buried or missing, the inspection can usually still happen through a toilet, but it is worth fixing the access for the long term. Each case has a sensible response.
- Seized plug in cast iron — old brass plugs corrode into cast iron hubs. A plumber may cut or chisel the plug out and fit a new one; forcing it with a long wrench can crack the hub.
- Plug that will not reseal — replace it rather than leaving it loose. A loose plug lets sewer gas into the basement.
- Cleanout buried behind finishes — add an access panel. Record where it is so the next owner can find it.
- Exterior riser lost under sod or gravel — probe near where the lateral leaves the house, or have the line located from inside with a sonde and dig carefully at the mark.
- No cleanout at all — plan one during your next renovation or repair, when a wall or pit is already open.
When you book, tell the company what access you have found and whether a toilet can be pulled; it changes how long the visit takes, as explained in how long a sewer scope takes. When access is sorted, request an inspection quote.
FAQQuestions people ask
What is a sewer inspection shaft?
It is a vertical riser from a buried junction on the drain up to a cap at ground level, used to insert rods or a camera. In Canada the same feature is usually called an exterior cleanout.
Can a sewer cleanout be under the lawn?
Yes. Exterior cleanouts are capped risers that should finish at grade, but they often end up buried under sod, mulch or gravel. A locate from inside the house can help find a lost one.
Can I put flooring over my basement cleanout?
You should not seal a cleanout under finishes. Codes expect cleanouts to stay accessible, and burying one makes every future inspection harder. Install a removable panel over it instead.
Is a floor drain a sewer cleanout?
Not usually. A floor drain has a trap that blocks most cameras. Some floor drains have a separate trap cleanout plug that gives access to the floor drain branch.
Why does my house have two plugs in the basement floor?
It is often a building trap, also called a house trap or running trap, found in some older homes. The two plugs give access to either side of the trap.
Do I need a permit to add a sewer cleanout?
Generally yes, because it is work on the drainage system. Confirm with your municipality's permit office before the work is done.
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