Do you want to find out more about: How does a CCTV drain survey work? We look at what are CCTV surveys are used for and the advantages of having one done for your property.
How do CCTV drain surveys work?
Modern, state of the art drain survey technology has meant that using CCTV equipment to inspect your drains has never been easier or more efficient. Rather than large-scale excavations to get at drains buried below the ground or having an engineer physically enter the pipes to survey them, modern techniques have now made this process far easier.
CCTV cameras mounted on wheels is lowered into the drainage system. A drainage engineer will then send it through the system, where it will transmit high-definition images of what it finds to a control monitor. These images allow the drainage engineer to identify potential issues.
The engineer will also check the general condition of the drains and pipes, checking for problems such as fissures, hairline cracks, large blockages and collapsed drains or damaged sections of the drainage system. The engineer could also identify any issue with rodents through a remote CCTV drain survey.
Rodents enter drainage systems through displaced joints or large cracks or holes, which can all be identified through a survey.
After the engineer has surveyed the drainage system, reviewing the images they have captured to identify issues and damage, they will suggest possible solutions. This can be as simple as CIPP path relining to fix any cracks found in the pipes or power flushing to remove blockages.
What are CCTV surveys are used for
CCTV surveys of your drainage systems have many benefits and uses, including:
The safe gathering of information regarding your drainage system. Given the remote nature of modern CCTV survey equipment, this means that surveys of your drainage and pipes can be done without any engineers or operatives having to enter any small or potentially hazardous spaces.
Remote surveys are incredibly useful for detecting issues and damage deep in the drainage system that otherwise could not be evaluated. Problems such as blockages, pollution or restricted flowing water rates can all be uncovered through remote CCTV surveys.
Remote CCTV surveys also allow those taking ownership of a property to check the drainage systems before completing any transaction. This is an essential step of the buying process, and if you find damage to the property's drainage system, it allows customers to cancel the purchase.
These surveys can also be used when building a property, both residential and commercial. Constructors can use remote CCTV surveys to check whether the drainage systems they are building are connected properly. They also allow designers or architects to create specific or bespoke drainage systems to suit unique requirements, all following the necessary regulations.
You can also use these CCTV surveys to take a preventative approach to drainage issues. If you are a property owner and have a "Planned Preventative Maintenance programme or PPM, these surveys are essential. They allow you to identify issues before they become catastrophes, ultimately saving you money on expensive repairs.
Ultimately, these remote CCTV drainage surveys are used to support any proposed work on drainage systems. If a drainage engineer has proposed work on your drains or pipes, they will use one of these surveys to back up their reasons why any repairs or replacements need to be made.
Locating drain and sewer blockages
When you have a drain or sewer pipe that has become blocked, using remote CCTV surveying is the best way to find out what is going on. A professional drainage engineer can use remote CCTV equipment to explore your drain or sewer pipes to discover the blockage.
Once they have found where the blockage is and what it is made up of, they can assess the best steps to take and plan how to remove it from your drains. Another benefit of CCTV drain surveying is that you can save the before and after footage of the operation as evidence of the procedure and proof that the drains or sewer pipes are in good condition.
Drain and sewer inspections
If you require a quick visual drain or sewer inspection for whatever reason, remote CCTV surveying equipment is the best choice.
Whether you are building a property and need to check that the drains and pipes are all connected properly, or you are a property owner who has a PPM programme in place and needs to know what maintenance needs doing on your pipes, this equipment will allow you to do it easily.
In these cases, you may not require a thorough drainage survey complete with data analysis or complete drain survey reports. This, therefore, speeds up the process of inspecting your drains or sewers, given that only a cursory look is needed to assess the overall quality of the drainage system.
What are the advantages of CCTV drain surveys?
Given the speed and ease with which these remote CCTV drain surveys are conducted, they are the most cost-effective and simple way to inspect your drains. They produce high-quality images of your system that can determine any small issue it might have, from hairline cracks to large blockages.
Spotting these specific issues allows you to create appropriate maintenance plans. They also mean you can spot small issues that could potentially become catastrophic, requiring much more expensive procedures to fix.
Considering hairline cracks again, they may seem like tiny problems, but they can eventually lead to leaks, which will undermine the integrity of the pipes.
Pest infestations can also pose a serious health and safety risk. The unhygienic nature of having disease-carrying rodents or insects in your drainage systems is a serious risk, and CCTV surveys can help diagnose the issue. Identifying any problems without disrupting the system too significantly is one of the greatest benefits of remote CCTV drain surveys and services.
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