Chemical grouting is a spot repair method that has been used in water and wastewater for over 50 years. In the last few decades, grouting methods have changed very little — until now.
Once a training-intensive task requiring complex mechanical panels, grout application has joined a growing industry trend toward computer-aided processes with the intuitive Easy Grout system from CUES.

“Easy Grout is a software program that is used to control and record the introduction of grout into mains and laterals,” says Mark French, business development manager for CUES Inc.
French says his company developed the product to address the need for a simplified system that doesn’t require a lot of training.

“Customers were having trouble training new hires or cross-training existing employees because of the time it takes to learn how to operate the mechanical panel,” French says. “This system enables the user to learn in a matter of hours; no more than a couple of days. The old systems can take weeks, and drastically reduce productivity.

“It was designed to reduce training and to provide precise information as to whether a joint passes or fails, and how much grouting material was used.”

Designed for ease of use, the system comes with field presets for pipe diameter and depth to automatically determine gel time and void pressure. One of the system’s most important features is an intuitive graphical user interface.

“The panel had to be built with an entirely different thought process, and then software had to be engineered to control it. It is typical point-and-click software, and you can control or receive a response. The software controls pneumatic as well as electronic inputs, and those inputs in turn control a mechanical system several hundred feet from the truck.”

Because the grout panel is now a computer user interface, it is no longer physically tied to the grout process equipment and can be located virtually anywhere a computer connection, wired or wireless, can be made.

Instead of bulky manual panels, all that’s needed for the Easy Grout control system is a computer. It is also a comprehensive program, giving operators remote access to all instrumentation, valves and controls. 800/327-7791; www.cuesinc.com