Debris Fields

The standard method of maintaining the community’s sewer collection pipe system is, by far, the most expensive item a community faces in maintaining it’s infrastructure.

If a town is lucky, the pipe system is cleaned methodically, annually, through adjoining manholes street by street using a very expensive ( read here – over $300,000) flushing truck, and two people.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Currently, we have cameras that can be used to quickly survey a complete pipe system, allow you to see precisely where the flushing must occur and then clean only those sections that solely cause your problems.

Any good waterproof camera can do this.

And there are many cameras specifically made for this.

At reasonable prices.

There, I said it.

That chore of going from blindly along just flushing your pipes?

Not needed.

Sure it is better, much better than letting your sewer collection pipe system clog up, but not much more than that.

Save your money.

A “Gator cam”, a simple $6,000. Pole camera is all you need.

There are even much better purchases for a little more.

A common pole camera allows you to photograph, or even better video, 250 feet up a pipe.

It usually is priced at around $12,000. Now.

For this price, you get a lighting system, a 250-foot focus ability that allows inspection of that amount of pipe and a recording system, that records what you found.

So simply this:

Inspect each manhole, for debris gathered, is any.

Manholes are usually a distance of 400 feet apart.

Why?

The former pumps in the old days could only pump at 2000 psi over that 400-foot distance.

In short, the pipe system was designed around the capacity of the equipment known then.

We’ve come a long way since.

The pipe system in that immediate area might be too flat to allow the normal flow of water to carry debris away downstream.

But we still use these outdated techniques to clean our wastewater collection systems.

So clean it.

These areas may not be over your entire pipe collection system, in fact, your system is supposed to be designed to be all “downhill.” There actually may not be that much debris in your system.

But none of your citizens are going to happy with a sewer backup at their house and you stating that since most of the system is pretty good they should be happy…

So by cleaning only those areas, only those debris fields, you will have covered an entire community in weeks, instead of years.

Most significantly maintained in an active manner that valuable infrastructure you are responsible for.

And more importantly, finally cover the entire collection system.

And not get so hung up on one issue in that one area that you end up spending all your time and money focused on one only in that single area.

So stick that Pole camera down the manhole,

Photograph up and down each pipe and move to the next manhole and do the same. Each of the pipes will be photographed twice in either direction.

Clean only the areas that you find excessive debris gathered.

Even budget for and repair those problem areas, if needed.

Less wear and tear on your expensive equipment.

Less burnout of your expensive people.

Much better coverage of your entire infrastructure.

That’s it.

Done.

Please take a moment and hit “Like” and most importantly. “Share”.

I hope this has served you.

Happy New Year!

Larry Coslow