Does anyone have any experience in sewer pipe inspection
Not with a camera, only with a led on a long stiff wire.
vision ended at first corner 
how long is the pipe?
update:
https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-Semi-rigid-Adjustable-Waterproof-Telescoping/dp/B075ST873B
this looks like an interesting price - length combination
10M /33ft for $40 <<<<
Currently using one from Ebay to try to find a break in an underground water pipe (40mm). Pipe is under bitumen car park and no external visible signs hence the camera.
Cable tied camera to an electrical fibreglass rod 30 metre snake.
Works well connected to laptop.
Only problem is at times we would like to rotate the view the camera sees but this is not possible with the snake we are using.
Currently can see air bubbles traversing in one direction so we are getting close I think.
For sewer pipe, camera may need a specialised mount to keep it central in the pipe with perhaps rollers on the frame.
@Dave
will this be an Arduino project?
Hi,
I have fixed and modified such devices.
Full colour HD or Memory Stick recording, self-leveling camera, built in illumination.
Spool encoder to give length of extended push cable.
Tom...
dave-in-nj:
Does anyone have any experience in sewer pipe inspection
Not with an Arduino.
robtillaart:
@Dave
will this be an Arduino project?
yes, part of the Arduino based unit is to have a sonde, or transmitter.
then above the ground, a receiver that can pinpoint directly over the transmitter.
the video part is mostly off the shelf.
so, this is really about sending and receiving for location.
the goal is to be able to see the problem in the pipe, then detect the location.
another bit is to mechanize the camera mount to twist and look up at the pipe wall, not just down the tunnel.
bluejets:
For sewer pipe, camera may need a specialized mount to keep it central in the pipe with perhaps rollers on the frame.
I am thinking about 4 air bladders. fill them and the camera rises to the center if the pipe.
as for the camera, VLC has a geometric mode that allows you to rotate the image in real time. you have to constantly rotate as the camera turns.
dave-in-nj:
yes, part of the Arduino based unit is to have a sonde, or transmitter.
then above the ground, a receiver that can pinpoint directly over the transmitter.
Soil is not the easiest medium to transmit anything through. Finding a proper transmitter may be the biggest problem.
A quick search on underground wireless communication suggested using frequencies of <500 kHz,and there's something called "magnetic induction" that supposedly also works through soil. But it seems that the mining industry relies mostly on wires for communication, or wireless with repeaters at every corner to keep line of sight.