Innovations in sewer line technology will help you save time as well as money in repairs. They will help if your existing system needs repair, and also if you’re moving to a new place. New high-tech methods have recently entered the field of plumbing to make this job easier and less bothersome for all involved.
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Trenchless technology
This new innovation will revolutionize the way sewer lines are laid on your property.Before trenchless technology, a huge trench was dug around the damaged pipe, along the entire length that needed to be replaced. But with trenchless technology, only two small holes are dug – one at each end of the pipe. A steel bursting head is introduced at one end of the existing pipe –it breaks up the pipe, pulling in the new pipe behind it. A hydraulic ram does the job of pulling the bursting head with a cable all the way through to the other end.
Actually, trenchless technology is not new. It started in the coal mining industry in the 1930s. Initially, it was used only in soft soils like sand and gravel; but with new developments, it entered the field of civil engineering. Here, it was employed in repairing water/sewer lines under concrete roads without the need to rip them open. As the technology was refined, it became far less expensive than large-scale excavation. Eventually, it found its way into plumbing.
Trenchless technology is truly incredible – it’s a long-awaited answer to the problem of having to build trenches just to replace a few pipes. Now you can safely go trenchless as this technology eliminates the necessity of additional manual labor and heavy equipment. Your lawn will not be torn up just to replace a few pipes. It’s also environmentally friendly – no plants on your property will be disturbed because of excavation.With trenchless technology, you won’t have to relocate to another place while repairs are being done.
Audio ‘cameras’
This second innovation in sewer-line technology is even more revolutionary. The idea of using CCTV cameras for detecting blockages in sewer lines seems like a good one, but it has its disadvantages – primarily, the images are usually too dark and dingy to make out what’s going on. That’s why the newest in technology uses sound, not light, waves. Sound waves perfectly duplicate the flow of water in pipes and are an excellent way of determining where the blockages in your pipe lay.
Ivan Howitt of the University of North Carolina – Charlotte came up with this bright idea and has developed the Sewer-Line Rapid Assessment Tool (SL-RAT). He now sells the device through his company, InfoSense.
This new sewer inspection technology enables technicians to pinpoint exactly where the problem lies in a line. Howitt says that two workers can do the job in a few minutes, and can even check up to 10,000 feet of pipe in a day. A CCTV camera can manage only 2,000 feet. For you, this means less time and money spent on repairs and labor.
And these are just a couple of new advances in sewer line technology. Others include pipe bursting, moling, inversion lining, etc.Each comes with the promise to make your repair experience free of any difficulties.
Check out Renovation Find’s directory for sewer line repair services in Edmonton that have been specially selected for their top-quality work and customer satisfaction.