Open Cut Trench Excavation: When Does It Become the Only Option?
The method of open cut trench excavation has been the most common, conventional method for sewer lateral replacement or repair. This method consists of excavating a trench for manually installing every piece of pipe. This kind of sewer work is applicable to heavy root blockages, severely broken pipes, and collapsed pipes.
On average, the open trench method is costlier than trenchless sewer repair since it needs more restoration, excavation, and time to complete. Plus, open trench excavation may require the removal of street and sidewalk pavement access, which also increases the repair cost. In spite of the expenses that come with open trench excavation, there are examples where it’s the only option over trenchless sewer repair. Below, we shed light on some of the reasons why a company may have to open trench at a specific location.
When Open Trench Excavation Becomes a Necessity?
This method is used for one of the following reasons:
It’s Impossible to Pull Through a New Sewer Pipe:
This reason for open trench excavation is mainly about the mechanics in performing trenchless sewer work. In a few instances, the fastening materials around the joints of an already-present sewer line are too strong and thick – or the coupling sleeves wouldn’t break during ‘pipe pulling.’ As the couplings become trapped, the pressure pushes the couplings down the line, which stacks them up. The pulling ram begins to stall as the equipment becomes stressed by the increased tension. In extreme circumstances, fixed surfaces like concrete get broken, lifted, or even stalled below ground. Due to this reason, pulling a new pipe through becomes impossible, and the area around it needs to be manually dug up.
To Guarantee Safety in Areas Surrounded by Dangerous Utilities:
Often, the work is done in regions where there are a lot of utilities adjacent to the sewer. These utilities can consist of electric, water, fibre, and gas lines. Since the overall nature of these areas is dangerous, open trench excavation is advisable as compared to trenchless sewer repair. To ensure that no severe accidents occur underground, companies will usually dig those areas to expose the pipes.
Design and Engineering:
Finally, the design and engineering of the sewer line are what may push companies towards open trench excavation. For instance, a company may witness a pipe with a sewer line belly after it breaks to the ground to repair a particular line. In the case of sewer line bellies, open trench excavation is almost always required. During this process, the existing sewer line is removed, it’s dug a bit deeper, and the aggregate base is laid that supports the pipe for the appropriate slope and line flow.
What Should You Do in Case an Open Trench Excavation Is Required?
A qualified engineer will always be aware of when an open trench solution is the best choice for your property. They’ll be able to describe to you the ‘whys’ of it in detail and what changes you should expect. Scanprobe have been supplying CCTV drain camera systems to professionals in the drainage industry for over 30 years, and our camera systems have been developed with their feedback. So you can trust a Scanprobe drain camera to be up to the task of helping you to determine the best form of repair action. Plus, we’re the leading providers of WinCan VX drain camera, visit our website to browse our offerings!
Burst Pipes: Reasons and Prevention
“Sweetie! The pipes burst!” Well, the dreaded day the cold won. And while you have done what you could do to prepare for this, the lingering, extreme cold temperature got the best of your pipes in the end. While older homes with unfinished cellars or basements are prone to pipe bursts, even a new home is at risk. There are a number of factors that could cause a pipe to burst.
Reasons for a Burst Pipe
- The water in a pipe can expand due to cold temperatures. Once it expands, the ice may cause the pipe to burst.
- Moving pipes are a result of insecurely placed pipes. When you turn the water on/off, you may hear a hammering or rattling noise within your walls. This is the sound of the pipes moving around. Over time, this movement causes the joints to become weak, and a perfect storm for a pipe burst is created.
- Another reason that a pipe may burst is due to water pressure. Since too much pressure can cause a pipe to burst, it is important to regulate water pressure. Use a pressure gauge to find out if the pressure is on the higher side. As a side note, the water pressure should be within the range of 30 to 50 psi, as anything above 60 may cause issues.
- In older pipes, corrosion is quite common. While pipes may last for many years, they may start to corrode over time. Corroded pipes can stop the water flow and may slow down – which may lead to a burst pipe. It can also release lead into the water, which may be dangerous to the health of your family.
How to Prevent a Pipe Burst?
- Allow a water trickle to run in your sink
- Allow the heat to reach pipes by opening the sink cabinets
- Use a pipe sleeve or pool noodles to insulate pipes at threat
So, in case your pipes burst, what do you do? Scanprobe has a few tips for you to ease the panic of a burst pipe.
Don’t panic: While the initial reaction is obviously this, try to remain calm and follow the pipe back to the shutoff valve of the water.
Shut off the water: Once you find the shutoff valve of the pipe, shut it off immediately. If you face issues in finding the individual valve, shutting off the main valve is what you can do. Either way, stopping the flow of water is the initial step to remedy the situation.
Evaluate the damage: Try to locate the exact point of the pipe burst, and search for other leaks, holes, and cracks. Use something as simple as an electric tape to fix a pinhole crack. Something a little more harmful such as a hairline fracture can be repaired with pipe sealant. A patch kit should be used to patch larger fractures. However, this kit requires a certain working knowledge of pipes, so you’ll need the know-how and tools to sand your pipes.
Call Scanprobe
When a pipe bursts, the staff at Scanprobe provides emergency pipeline patching, lining, and general maintenance services. Rest assured, we’ll do everything in our capacity to repair and prevent the next occurrence. Besides this, Scanprobe also offers CCTV drain camera for rent and mina survey in England, so don’t forget to check out those services as well.
Don’t let the stress of a burst pipe faze you. Call us now!
Why companies are investing in CCTV pipeline inspection?
You don’t have to be a scientist to get to appreciate the reason that CCTV has become a driving force in the realm of pipeline inspection. Robotics combined with advanced camera tech (like WinCan drain camera) is quite an innovative solution when it comes to inspecting pipelines.
Why CCTV pipeline inspection is trending?
Traditionally, a lot of guesswork was involved when it came to inspecting pipelines. However, with the advent of CCTV, examining pipelines, sewers, and drains is now quicker, affordable, and more accurate without disturbing the infrastructure. The approach offers a lot of benefits and is totally non-destructive. In a large number of industries today, CCTV pipeline inspection become a leading choice for carrying out pipeline inspection.
When pipe issues like corrosion, depreciation, foreign objects blockage, roots invasion, and sediment build-up occur in municipalities, CCTV can be used to conduct sewage and drain lines inspection. This tech can also be used by property developers to determine the status of drains and pipelines before investing in the property. In addition, oil firms can use remotely-operated CCTV cameras by mounting them on robotic crawlers to investigate very important pipelines and see if contamination or damage has occurred so that safety measures can be implemented.
CCTV pipeline inspection utilises easy-to-use software along with various durable instruments that can be used to capture top-quality videos and images. The software is loaded with a ton of features that ensures safety, offer protection for assets, and enhances productivity. All that’s required is a CCTV camera to be a connection with a computer. The camera sends images and data in real-time while storing the information that is collected for reference purposes, and an operator picks all of these. These visual inspection equipment are available in a variety of configurations. Plus, their capabilities are widespread that can match the demands of different environments like mainline sewers, tubes, condensers, turbines, engines, and pipes.
The CCTV pipeline inspection is also preferred due to its cost-effective nature. Some other reasons why people choose this cutting-edge technology are:
- No need for time-consuming excavation.
- It’s easier to proffer solutions and locate problems quickly, which assists in lowering costs while improving productivity.
- Preventive repairs can easily be implemented by using the data transmitted by the camera.
- Minor faults can easily be detected and sorted so that they don’t turn into major problems.
- CCTV pipeline inspection makes the first time identification of problems quite precise; this assists in circumventing all the costs that would’ve incurred as a result of the inaccurate diagnosis.
- The use of technology during the inspection is an absolutely non-destructive approach.
- Precision and speed are definitely a benefit.
- It is easier to pinpoint the exact location where the problem has occurred.
- The system is not difficult to operate and is totally user-friendly.
- A fully-integrated software, when integrated into the inspection process, assists in faster decision-making with the use of readily available real-time results.
- CCTV pipe inspection causes no harm to the environment and is totally environmentally-friendly.
The reasons highlighted above for the extensive use of CCTV in conducting a visual inspection in various industries clearly demonstrate that this cutting-edge technology is here to stay.
Scanprobe is a family run business since 1985, specialising in the manufacture, assembly, and design of CCTV pipeline inspection systems. Get in touch to learn more about our CCTV inspection services, WinCan VX, and WinCan drain camera.
Choosing an ideal sewer camera
The sewer inspection cameras are extensively utilised by home inspectors, engineers, contractors, plumbers, municipal workers, and other professionals for inspecting regions that aren’t easy to spot. These regions may comprise insides of a drain, spaces behind walls, pipeline interiors, and other hard-to-reach places. So, if you want to buy a sewer inspection camera, you first need to consider your sole purpose of using it. How long should the insertion probe be? How much light will you require? Should it be chemical or waterproof?
In order to choose a good sewer camera, we’re offering you a few general tips. However, remember that the final decision should only be yours, based on your particular budget, requirements, and needs.
General features
- A radio transmitter will be a good addition to the camera. Generally, it operates on 512 Hz frequency mode and is located behind the camera in the tip of the probe. It’s a great tool to find blockages or locate your camera. Make sure you’re equipped with a precise locator to trace it.
- These surveys can be undertaken in all types of weather, so being waterproof and easily visible in direct sunlight would be very beneficial.
Camera
- Similar to the insertion probe, the camera should at least be waterproof to last the duration of your survey.
- Since inspecting hard-to-see areas is what you’re planning, you’ll need a varying degree of light to explore it. The image will be better with a brighter light source. Always go for a sewer inspection camera that has a bright, adjustable LED light.
Insertion probe
- If the pushrod with an attached camera is chemical and waterproof and is able to withstand a bar pressure of 1-6, it will offer longevity to your device.
- This probe must at least be long enough to go from one maintenance hole to another. The length of our probes varies from 40m to 120m.
Control box/Monitor display
- The contemporary sewer inspection cameras can capture various types of files with various resolutions. Try saving the footage as either a video in AVI or MPEG format or as a JPEG file. If you can record images on your computer, convenience is guaranteed. This is because you won’t have to remember it or write everything down. Furthermore, should you or your client need to verify some information, you can always go back to the file.
- The screen should offer you a coherent picture of the inspection area. In this case, a higher resolution and a wider screen are preferred. The daylight readable monitor comes with a pro model.
- Few modern inspection cameras comprise keyboards (maybe splash-proof on the PRO models) that permit you to type useful information during inspections.)
Looking for a sewer, drain, or a CCTV drain camera? Awesome. Browse the offerings of Scanprobe, and you’ll know why we’re the best when it comes to these devices.