Location and Leak Detection

Location and Leak Detection
Leak detection system saves money for Texas school

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Scanning system finds large leaks in recent CIPP project

Problem: A Tennessee-based sewer agency had Electro Scan conduct a pre-CIPP assessment of a 390-foot vitrified clay pipe, revealing 67 defects having a combined leakage rate of 16.5 gpm. Three months later, a contractor installed a CIPP liner. Electro Scan performed a second assessment, this time finding two leaks in the same location, but both larger than before, with a combined leakage rate of 15.2 gpm, or only an 8 percent flow reduction from the previous assessment.

Solution: The two defects were tracked to lateral connections where the host pipe had been damaged from the remote tap cutting process. Based on Electro Scan findings, the agency issued a change order to install lateral connection liners as the repair.

Result: A third Electro Scan inspection was conducted, resulting in a 99 percent flow reduction from the initial inspection. The pipe had a remaining leakage rate of just 0.2 gpm. The agency and contractor were confident the sewer was leak-free, having a complete audit trail of its rehabilitation. 800/975-6149; www.electroscan.com.


Leak detection system saves money for Texas school

Problem: A leak beneath Anna Middle School in Anna, Texas, caused water to surface in the parking lot. The problem presented potentially costly demolition and repair costs.

Solution: The school called Spencer Plumbing Co., and a technician used a Gen-Ear LE water leak detection system from General Pipe Cleaners. Compact and lightweight, the unit uses the most advanced acoustical leak detection system available to quickly and accurately locate leaks in cast iron, copper, steel and PVC lines. “The school thought we’d bust up the building slab and parking lot just to locate the problem,” Spencer Plumbing owner Bryan Spencer recalls. “But our Gen-Ear showed them exactly what — and where — the troubles were.” Built-in preset audio filters removed ambient noise interfering with accurate leak detection. So instead of traffic or wind, operators heard the whoosh or hiss of water leaks. The ground sensor detects gurgling or hammering of cracked pipe as far as 8 feet belowground, through hard surfaces like concrete or tile. Probe rods locate leaks beneath soft surfaces like grass or carpet, or for above-ground valves or hydrants.

Result: General’s easy-to-use equipment quickly found two distinct problems. “We fixed the small inside leak without major disruption,” Spencer says. He then showed how the serious outside leak actually channeled water down a ditch to where it was surfacing in the parking lot. 800/245-6200; www.drainbrain.com.


Sewer jet cam saves city money

Problem: The Ridgeland, Mississippi, Sewer Department experienced a leak on a customer lateral, but due to an easement issue it couldn’t inspect the line with standard CCTV. The city wanted to avoid having to remove fence and dig up the customer’s backyard.

Solution: Inspection was completed with a portable Pipeline Renewal Technologies CleanSteer jet camera, distributed by Green Equipment. The portability of the camera allowed the system to be set up at the manhole in the easement behind the customer’s home. Technicians ran the hose from the trailer jetter on the street in front of the home. Steering and propulsion jets allow this unit to inspect the lateral line after being deployed from the manhole into the main. Location is determined due to the ability to locate the conductor inside the hose. This is completed using a utility locator to trace the hose from the reel to the camera head.

Result: The system allowed the city to determine the problem was on the customer’s side of the service and not the city’s responsibility. This 30-minute inspection provided video verification and the location of the sewer leak causing the problem, saving the city thousands of dollars by not having to take down a customer’s fence and dig up their backyard. 800/391-7612; www.greenequipco.com.


Software enables easier operations and asset management  

Problem: The high level of drinking water losses in Peru is first and foremost due to leaking pipes and the existence of illegal service connections. The supply of water is subject to severe restrictions in many parts of the country, and the use of contaminated water from rivers and canals makes people ill. The technical equipment and skills required to locate and repair leaks or track down illegal service connections are mostly out of date or lacking altogether.

Solution: By setting up training centers in five of Peru’s cities, the plan is for selected water supply companies to significantly reduce drinking water losses and bring about lasting improvement with the help of modern technology.

Sewerin offered instruction on how to use ground microphones like the AQUAPHON and SeCorr correlator for computer-assisted detection of leaks.

Result: The companies taking part in the training have been able to reduce the level of water losses by 10 percent in a short period of time. The declared goal is to force down the rate of losses to below 20 percent to ensure that Peru can preserve water on a long-term basis. 888/592-9916; www.sewerin.com.



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