Drains and pipes of all kinds tend to get clogged over time. They also deteriorate over time and eventually require maintenance. Any industry that waits until this happens is not getting ahead of the game and therefore not policing efficient work practices. This is why regular drain and sewer chamber inspection routines are not only necessary, but essential to maintaining safe, consistent and ongoing operations.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are used for pipeline inspection work. The technology is now so good that images of the inside of pipes and drains are clear enough to easily identify any damage, or even potential future damage, to the inside of the pipe. Any build-up of debris or dirt can also be clearly seen to allow the correct cleaning approach to be carried out later.
Inspecting pipes in this way can save a company money by allowing them to see firsthand the condition of every inch of their drains and sewers. You can eliminate or at least minimize the kind of unpleasant surprise that often accompanies an unexpected breakdown.
Not only can pipe inspection work be carried out on large diameter drains and sewers. Explosion-proof mini-camera systems have been developed that can allow a remote camera to travel inside a pipe as small as one inch or 25 millimeters in internal diameter. Pipes ranging up to 24 inches or 600 millimeters in diameter can also be inspected using larger camera systems.
There is a limit to the length of the trip that a system can support. This is usually around the 300 meter mark from the entry point of the pipe. However, during that 300 meter run there is a lot of useful work a pipe inspection camera system can do. And a new entry point can be set after the first run to allow inspection of very long runs of drain and sewer pipes.
Camera systems are not generally mindless robots. The most advanced systems can provide clear and sharp images in full color in very high resolution. They can also pan and tilt for close-up images of any particular detail, providing full 360-degree horizontal viewing capability.
Most modern state-of-the-art pipeline inspection camera systems are explosion proof. Gas can build up inside the pipes and the chamber system is powered by electricity. If a spark starts an explosion, the team must survive and be able to continue transmitting a valuable record of what is happening.
Drain and sewer camera inspection work has never been easier, thanks to modern technology. Now there is almost no pipe or drain that cannot be examined internally to save the company time and money in case of unexpected breakdowns.