New Vivax-Metrotech equipment gives the licensed Spartanburg septic contractor a way to find buried tanks that a probe rod cannot locate.
SPARTANBURG, S.C., Oct. 12, 2026 — Rock Solid Septic & Excavation has added a Vivax-Metrotech camera inspection and electronic locating system to its equipment. The company brings the system in when a probe rod cannot find a buried septic tank, a situation that used to end in exploratory digging.
The setup pairs a vCamMX-2 inspection system with a vLoc3-Cam receiver. The vCamMX-2 carries a one-inch, self-leveling HD camera head on a 150-foot pushrod, enough reach to cover the run from a house to its tank on most residential lots. The receiver detects the camera head's locating signal from the surface, allowing a technician to pinpoint its underground position and identify where the pipe reaches the tank.
Lost tanks are a routine problem on older properties. Lids end up under years of sod, and many owners have no record of where the system was installed. Rock Solid starts every locate with a probe rod, and the probe finds most tanks. When it does not, the technician explains that a camera is needed to locate the tank. As of October 2026, a standalone septic tank locating service costs $350. If a customer requests septic tank pumping and the crew needs the camera to locate the tank, the camera service adds $250 to the pumping cost. The technician then feeds the camera through a cleanout and follows the pipe toward the tank. Once the camera reaches the tank inlet, the receiver pinpoints that spot from above, and the crew digs in one place. Some jobs still call for limited excavation to expose a lid, but the search area shrinks from a whole yard to a few square feet. The crew photographs the yard before and after the work and puts it back the way it was.
“Most tanks we find with a probe,” said John (Ivan) Rusev, co-owner of Rock Solid Septic & Excavation. “When the probe can’t find it, we tell the owner we need the camera, and the camera walks us right to it. We dig one spot and put the yard back the way it was.”
The same camera works as a diagnostic tool. A slow drain or a backed-up line does not show where the problem is. Live HD video can reveal blockages and visible pipe damage, while the self-leveling camera head keeps the image upright. The footage helps technicians explain their findings and recommend repairs based on what they can see.
Locating also matters before construction. A new driveway or a home addition placed over a septic line creates an expensive conflict, and marking the tank and lines first lets the owner plan around them.
Rock Solid field-tested the system in late September, including a drain line inspection run from the basement of a residential property. The equipment now goes out on any job where the probe does not find the tank. Property owners can request a septic locate or a camera inspection at rocksolidexcavationsc.com.
About Rock Solid Septic & Excavation
Rock Solid Septic & Excavation is a family-owned septic contractor based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a second office in Greenville. The company holds a 5.0 rating across 179 Google reviews and serves homeowners and businesses in Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee, Anderson, and Pickens counties. Its crews work under South Carolina Tier 2 and Tier 3 installer licenses along with state pumping licenses, so one company handles a job from the first pump-out through a full system replacement. Every customer gets an upfront price before digging starts, and repairs carry a five-year warranty. The phone line is answered 24 hours a day for emergencies.