FINE DIAGNOSTICS FOR PIPES: Videodiagnostics for pipes and sewers

The first video system for sewer pipe inspection was introduced in 1957. And over the past half century, the use of video diagnostics equipment to monitor the condition of wastewater pipe networks has become firmly entrenched in global practice. Since then, more than one generation of television technology has changed, which absorbed all the high technology emerging in the electronics industry. One thing is unchanged: the most important source of ideas for innovations in this area remains the demands of end users.

How the needs of professionals are shaping the evolution of video diagnostics equipment

Why video diagnostics are needed?

It is believed that in the old days, experienced plumbers could literally hear the flow of water in the drains to determine the nature of the problems. But since you can see with your own eyes what’s going on in the sewers, maintenance of underground and house utilities has become much easier and more efficient.

There are many situations where you may need video inspection equipment:

– Diagnosis of the condition of pipelines and collectors. The first symptom of problems is a decrease in the flow capacity of communications. It can be caused by easily removable causes blockages, siltation, foreign bodies or by disturbed pipeline integrity through corrosion, collapsed roofs, ground movements, ingress of roots – and then they will require costly repairs. Inspection allows you to determine the exact location of problems, their cause, to decide what action is needed cleaning, repair, complete modernization , and to accurately calculate the costs.

“A good proprietor does not wait for the development of an emergency situation in communications, but carries out periodic preventive maintenance to ensure the guaranteed operation of pipelines. Such service as video inspection gives an opportunity to control the state of the pipeline and prevent problems”, – says Anatoly Ivanov, order manager of Gidrodzhet-service company which specializes in cleaning and maintenance of engineering services.

According to feedback from representatives of water utilities, diagnostics of the state of utilities makes it possible to map defects in pipelines in real time for further repair, which helps significantly reduce costs associated with maintenance of sewerage systems.

– Quality control of cleaning or repair work. This study can be ordered by network owners to ensure the bona fides of contractors. Also repair and service companies themselves often provide such services so that customers can verify the effectiveness of the work performed.

According to Natalia Ipatova, director of information and public relations department of State Unitary Enterprise “Vodokanal of St. Petersburg”, the enterprise services necessarily carry out video diagnostics before and after flushing of sewerage networks, and also after scheduled or emergency works.

– Acceptance of communications in operation. According to the technical regulations, before the water utility accepts new subscribers’ sewer lines into service, they are required to undergo a telediagnostic.

“Our department of optimization of modes of networks and facilities checks compliance with the prescribed slopes of collectors, as well as tightness of pipe joints,

– Anton Koskov, deputy director of the Metallurgical division of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, says. Chief engineer of state enterprise “Kalugaoblvodokanal”. –

Deviations from the requirements are detected quite often. It is not uncommon for counterflow with diameters up to 300 millimeters, which is fraught with rapid silting and loss of throughput capacity in gravity-flow pipelines. If such problems are detected the builder should eliminate all the shortcomings and call us for a second inspection.

– Detection of unauthorized connections. This is relevant for municipal water utilities, for which “taps” in collectors have become a real headache. They’re usually made by artisanal methods, with no technical requirements, and they often leak toxic waste through them, which is destructive to both the environment and the equipment at municipal sewage treatment plants.

– Evaluate the condition of utilities before buying a property. When it comes to buying property or a ready-made business, it’s helpful for an investor to know the condition of the sewer lines. It happens that even though the building itself is in good condition, the piping is so old and worn out that it needs a lot of investment in repair work. This can significantly affect both the price of the property and the decision on the feasibility of the purchase.

High tech for plumbers

The main thing that has changed over the past 60 years of video inspection equipment is the amount of information that can be captured, stored and analyzed during an inspection.

Employees of water utilities and specialized companies that provide video inspection services remember well what television inspection systems were like back in the 1990s. Big cameras with solid protection, producing only low resolution monochrome picture that could be recorded with VHS-video cassette at best. The size of electronic components simply did not allow for truly compact devices, and this imposed serious limitations on the possible applications. In particular, teleinspection was available only for large-diameter collectors and pipes, while problems are most often fixed in pipelines less than 300 mm.

It was important for manufacturers of video diagnostic equipment not only to implement the existing level of technology in their designs, but also to provide an acceptable price, compactness and reliability. Given the extreme operating conditions of such systems heavy mechanical stress during transportation and use, working in chemically active environments , it was very difficult.

As electronics have evolved, cameras have gotten smaller, more technologically advanced and more reliable. This means they could be installed with thinner and more flexible cables, which can more easily work around bends and can penetrate pipes of smaller diameters. The latest models have video heads less than 15 mm in diameter and include self-aligning camera technology to ensure the picture is always in the correct orientation. High-sensitivity cameras are protected by a stainless steel housing with a shock and scratch-resistant sapphire lens. One important improvement that has come about relatively recently is the introduction of LED lighting. It provides a clearer, more detailed picture at a lower energy cost, and the color temperature of the LED lights is optimal for color photography.

“The full-color image makes it possible to increase the information value of the inspection, distinguish lime deposits from the corrosion of steel or cast iron pipes, identify the type of blockage or a foreign object in the pipe lumen,

– says Maxim Shagalin, Sales Manager at Tool Profi New York . St. Petersburg . –

For specialized service companies color video is also a marketing tool, helping to clearly demonstrate to the customer the effectiveness of cleaning or repair work.

One of the constant requests from customers is to make the picture clearer and the video data easier to record, process and use. Vendors have to meet these requirements. In recent years, a real breakthrough has occurred in video recording and storage technology. Analog recordings that were difficult to edit and transfer have been replaced by modern digital formats,” says Anton Miliushkin New York . Technicians can now save hundreds of hours of video on the laptop’s hard drive or flash drive.

“Professional users now have the ability to record photos and video clips directly to flash drives and create high-quality multimedia reports right in the process of inspecting communications,

– tells Anton Miliushkin, Sales Engineer at RIDGID, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional tools for the construction, building and sanitary sectors. –

Such functions are available in the new generation of digital monitors for RIDGID video diagnostic systems. They record full-color video clips in one-touch in easy-to-view, edit and forward MPEG4 format with VGA resolution 640*480 . SeeSnake HQ’s built-in software allows you to save important video clips, add sound and text comments, burn them to DVDs, or publish them online.”.

The newest trend is the use of cloud storage technology. If 4G or Wi-Fi network is available, video content immediately becomes available for online viewing from any device connected to the Internet.

“Utilities often need to not only find a problem area in a pipeline, but also localize it on the ground to plan repairs,

– says Anton Miliushkin RIDGID . –

For this purpose, the latest versions of our video diagnostic systems have a probe transmitter built into the video camera. It provides a high-powered signal at 512 Hz, from which the precise position of the video head can easily be determined with the help of a locator.”.

Out-of-the-box solution or modularity?

Users of tele-inspection equipment can be fairly conventionally divided into two broad categories:

– for some it is just a tool for solving a narrow range of possible problems on their pipeline service department of a hotel, office building, residential complex

– For others, video diagnosis is the core business, and the range of tasks is very wide: from utility acceptance or tapping to sewer inspection water and wastewater utility companies, specialized service companies .

Accordingly, their requirements for tele-inspection equipment may vary significantly. For plumbers, the most convenient solution is “out of the box,” that is, ready to use and as versatile as possible. And service companies that specialize in cleaning and video inspection prefer systems that can be customized to handle different diameter services and conditions.

“An example of a complete solution are compact video scopes, which are becoming the constant companions of plumbers who service the internal communications of residential complexes, hotels, shopping and office centers,

– says Dmitry Moiseev, commercial director of KS-Energo, which specializes in the supply of measurement and diagnostic equipment and mobile laboratories. –

A typical problem at these facilities is clogging due to foreign objects, and they are usually localized within the first few feet of a sink, toilet or drain. Digital video scopes such as RIDGID micro CA-300 are very convenient for solving such tasks. The push-through video cable length of 90 cm can be extended up to 9 m, which expands the scope of possible applications of the videoscope – for inspection of ventilation, chimneys, cable ducts, etc.p.”.

Professionals who spend most of their time tele-inspecting utilities need the most flexible modular system possible.

“For specialists from service companies, who have to inspect sections of block sewers, sewer outlets and in-house communications, the modular principle of the video diagnostic system is very convenient. It allows you to assemble exactly the right equipment configuration for your specific application from compatible units, right at the customer’s site,

– says Andrey Makarov, Head of RIDGID’s American division. –

Exactly for these purposes are convenient interchangeable drums, which our company produced for video diagnostic complex RIDGID SeeSnake MAX rM200. They have different combinations of length, diameter, push-pull cable stiffness and coil flexibility. This allows the operator a simple change of the drum to adapt the system for the inspection of long utilities or pipelines with a large number of bends and tees”.

The technology of tele-inspection of sewage systems has come a long way: from reports written by hand and sent by mail, to modern cloud services, allowing to watch the results of video diagnostics on the screen of a tablet or smartphone, from anywhere in the world. Such obvious progress is only possible thanks to the requests and advice of professionals who use tele-inspection in their day-to-day work. For them the functionality, convenience and reliability of video inspection systems are not just a line in the catalogs, but are realized in the hours of work time saved and loyal customers.