Campbell Plumbing & Drain Cleaning in Eastlake, Ohio, owns a fairly large inventory of equipment for an operation its size — a testament to father-and-son owners Ray and Scott Haymer’s philosophy of investing in productivity-enhancing tools and machines.

But when asked which equipment is most valuable to the company, Scott Haymer doesn’t hesitate with an answer: the company’s array of pipeline inspection cameras.

“The one thing that separates a lying plumber from a truthful plumber is an inspection camera,” Haymer says. “You wouldn’t have a surgery performed without an X-ray or an MRI, and customers shouldn’t spend considerable amounts of money on drain cleaning or pipe rehab without a contractor proving what the problem is beyond a shadow of a doubt. Our cameras — and our pipeline locator — are go-to tools that make us a lot of money. They help close the deal because customers can actually see what the problem is inside their drainlines.”

The great thing about inspection cameras is that customers don’t need 30 years of plumbing experience to understand what they see on a camera system monitor, he adds.

“Seeing is believing.”

Along with a RIDGID SeekTech SR-20 pipeline locator, Campbell Plumbing owns six RIDGID SeeSnake pipeline inspection cameras: two standard models, two Nanoreels, a Mini and a MAX rM200.

Haymer says he likes RIDGID cameras because they’re durable as well as backward-compatible, meaning they integrate well with older hardware and software. In addition, they’re easy to learn how to use.

Haymer says customers are starting to expect contractors to arrive on jobs with the latest and greatest technology.

“The man in a van who doesn’t have the latest in technology is kind of screwed these days,” he says. “People now demand advanced technology and if you don’t have it, you’re probably not going to get the job. Our cameras have definitely become an essential part of our business. They really get the job done.”

Read more about Campbell Plumbing & Drain Cleaning in the April 2020 issue of Cleaner magazine.