In August of 2025, a GapVax customer inspected 16 individual storm sewer pipes (16-48 inches) running beneath a levee wall built by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of its Flood Protection Program. This program requires pipe inspections every five years. 

The challenge was that some pipes could only be reached from the river side of the levee. To get there, they had to cross the earthen levee wall, which is covered in riprap stone and is difficult and unsafe to walk on. Using the front hose reel on their GapVax MC1510, the operator safely carried the 1-inch sewer jet hose over the 30-foot wall, using the hose like a stabilizing rope on the descent. Once over the levee wall, the operator connected the Zipcam 360 to the sewer jetter hose and propelled the camera up the pipe, capturing a 360-degree view of the pipe’s interior in high-definition resolution. This approach would not have been practical or safe with a crawler cable.

With the Zipcam 360, they completed all 16 inspections in a single day (7:37 a.m. to 2:13 p.m., including a 30-minute lunch). The project totaled 983 feet of pipe, with 16 separate setups and teardowns, including those with difficult access. Even a highly experienced crew with a robotic crawler and a camera van would struggle to complete this project in seven hours. 

The speed of Zipcam 360

In the inspection report form 2020, a different pipe inspection company listed some “incomplete inspections” due to limited access, and it took them three full days to inspect the pipes they could access using a conventional crawler.

This project demonstrates that the Zipcam 360 is a faster, more rugged solution for difficult pipe inspection jobs with restricted access. It offers substantial cost savings for contractors, municipalities and engineering firms.

In early 2024, GapVax and Can-Ex Technologies entered into a formal partnership, marking a strategic alliance between the two companies. This agreement designates GapVax as the sole distributor of the Zipcam 360 within the United States, and allows Can-Ex Technologies to establish itself in the expansive American market.

GapVax was established in 1989 to meet the need for rugged, reliable equipment that is user-friendly and easy to maintain. The GapVax product line includes air movers, combination jet/vac units, jetters, trailer jetters, hydrovacs, parts and accessories. GapVax is located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with an office in Deer Park, Texas, and a nationwide dealer network. 

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