Testing Drains, Pipes and Sewers

You may not be able to see what is happening to your drains and sewers, but there are plenty of reasons why you may need to find out whether they are in good working order.

Whether you are complying with environmental legislation, analysing your system’s capacity, or simply need to know exactly where the drains are, The Drain Hunter has a range of tests that will help you to:

- Ensure there is no pollution from leakage into the surrounding area.
- Check whether additional drainage connections can be made.
- Verify that foul waste is going into the foul sewage network and not the surface water system.
- Find problems in the drains, pipes and sewers that might cause blockages.
- Analyse sewer and stormwater flow data.
- Trace pipes.
- Comply with legislation. 

In the old days, drain profiling was the only option. It involved pushing a stainless steel ball (the same diameter as the pipe) through the pipe with drain rods. When the ball got stuck, you knew there was a displaced joint, a root mass or a blockage. Then the ball had to be retrieved (by excavation before the whole process started again from that point until you reached the end of the pipe. Thankfully that process is a thing of the past. Today, The Drain Hunter is able to test your drains and sewers, faster and more accurately, using advanced technologies.
 
Hydrostatic testing (water pressure test)

This involves plugging the lower end of a drain with an expanding stopper or an airbag before filling the pipe with water from the upper end. When the drain is full, it is left to stand for two hours, then topped up via a Perspex test tube, secured to the upstream drain bung. The leakage, if any, is measured for 30 minutes and observed through the Perspex tube.

Dye testing and tracing

Dye tracing is used to analyse the flow connectivity through a pipe. It is the modern-day equivalent of throwing a floating object into the water to see where it ends up but uses dye instead. It may be qualitative, (ie checking the presence of particular flow), or quantitative, (measuring the amount of dye using special instruments). At The Drain Hunter, dyes are used to test for misconnections, that is when domestic appliances such as washers, dishwashers - and even toilets - have been connected to the surface water instead of the foul water sewer. It can also be used to verify the source of watercourse pollution.

CCTV surveys

The Drain Hunter operates a variety of sophisticated CCTV technology so, whatever the application, always has the perfect tools for the job, such as 360º Panoramo technology, and LISY, a camera especially for lateral drains. Remotely-controlled camera systems relay images to a mobile unit via specialist software, so that a technician can assess the structural condition and integrity of the drain or sewer, on screen. It is quick, convenient and does not cause any disruption to your property or the environment. The Drain Hunter’s advanced camera units and specialist software allow you to see the results for yourself on DVD, supported by a detailed technical report.

Laser profiling

The Drain Hunter's Profiler is fitted onto a CCTV survey camera unit to collect very precise data about the shape of a drain or sewer. It projects a laser ring on to the internal surface of the pipe to record the ‘ovality’ (ie: how far the pipe has deviated from its original round shape), capacity and other conditions (such as pipe size, deformation, erosion, encrustation, debris, grease, flows, lateral protrusion, surface damage, holes, etc), all to an incredible accuracy of 1mm.

When you need to know what is going on in your drains, talk to The Drain Hunter on 02 4915 7348.