Smoker identifies sewer gas leaks

Problem

Sewer gases inside a commercial property halted remodeling efforts and needed to be identified.

Solution

Bryck Guibor, chief executive officer of Brick by Bryck Home Inspectors in Tucson, Ariz., connected the Power Smoker 2 from Hurco to the plumbing system clean-out. Smoke pumped into the pipes quickly identified leaks behind some drywall. Guibor located five problem areas using a laser light pen to penetrate the smoke above the ceiling tiles. He removed the drywall and discovered the sewer vents were not connected to the roof vent. Since the sewer vents were no longer required, Guibor capped them.

Result

Contractors completed the remodeling project and the owners occupied the property. 800/888-1436; www.gethurco.com.

Acoustic inspection verifies cleaning frequency

Problem

Two Rivers Utilities in Cramerton, N.C., cleaned a 13,000-foot gravity-fed sewer twice a year to avoid SSOs in a major retail location. Maintenance division manager Keith Morton wanted to reduce the cleaning frequency but needed a cost-effective way to evaluate the pipe's condition.

Solution

Field supervisor Ron Cook used the sewer line rapid assessment tool (SL-RAT) from InfoSense to inspect the line. The acoustic technology provided an aggregate blockage assessment for each pipe segment within three minutes with no flow contact.

Result

After training, a field crew inspected the sewer in less than a day, finding it clean enough to extend the maintenance interval substantially. The money the utilities saved nearly paid for the tool, which won the 2012 WEF Innovative Technology Award. 877/747-3245, ext 1; www.infosenseinc.com.