Education Day was a great kickoff to the 2012 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo. I sat in on Duane Johnson’s CCTV Inspection Essentials seminar and was struck by the simple message and the quality of the information presented. It was entertaining and, of course, educational.

What I really took away from it was the importance of understanding pipeline history. Until you fully know and understand the different types of pipe you’re likely – or even unlikely – to encounter on an inspection or service call, you’re really operating blind.

Johnson used a common example of pipe misidentification and the potential consequences to drive home the importance of understanding what type of pipe you’re looking at and working on. He talked about asbestos concrete pipe (ACP) and reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and the consequences that can stem from confusing the two. Say you show up at a jobsite, run your camera out and determine you’re looking at RCP. You tell one of your people to fire up the saw and cut out a section of pipe, only find out you’re actually dealing with ACP and you’ve spewed a good volume of asbestos dust into the air, endangering yourself and others. It’s a simple mistake with significant consequences.

One website you should become familiar with, if you’re not already, is www.sewerhistory.org. It contains a wealth of information on pipes, their characteristics and timelines of when they were likely installed. It will help you understand what you’re looking at through the camera lens, and that means you’ll be more likely to make the correct diagnosis and proper fix.