Most drain cleaners need to carry separate tools for lateral cleaning and inspection. The equipment takes up valuable space and switching back and forth is time-consuming. But there is another option.

CleanSteer, the newest camera from Pipeline Renewal Technologies and the featured demo in the company’s 2016 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show booth, solves this problem.

The CleanSteer uses high-pressure water for propulsion, steering and cleaning as it captures live video from inside lateral lines. In addition to cleaning, it is able to traverse multiple bends in pipe, steer through branches and levitate above debris, allowing municipal contractors and commercial plumbers to locate failed pipes, cross bores and blockages.

“The CleanSteer is ideal for inspecting and flushing drainlines,” says Jake Wells, director of marketing for Pipeline Renewal Technologies. “It can be deployed from any clean-out, and can even be steered into a lateral from a sewer main to perform cross-bore inspections.”

The unit is fully water-driven. Six propulsion nozzles generate the power needed to pull its own flexible hose through multiple bends, and a side nozzle on the camera can be aimed to steer through diverging pipes and hover past obstacles. An optional forward-facing nozzle can be pulsed to clear debris and other obstructions. The system works with any high-pressure water source, including pressure washers and combination trucks.

“The steering jet is a completely new concept,” says Wells. “Traditionally, drain inspection and jetting are brute-force operations, but CleanSteer allows an operator to be very precise in how they navigate past obstacles and remove debris.”

CleanSteer’s 1/2-inch hose comes in lengths from 115 to 190 feet. The system attaches to any 1/2-inch connection, delivering water at 2,000 psi and 20 gpm. “The hose itself maintains a very high pressure rating while incorporating power and video signal conductors, as well as the video-streaming electronics, which let an operator view live and record video on a mobile device,” says Wells.

The camera itself measures 1 inch in diameter (or 2 inches with optional centering device), offers a 145-degree field of view, casts shadowless LED illumination, and can be located using an optional sonde transmitter. High-resolution video with footage superimposed is displayed on an integral 5.6- or 8-inch monitor and output via BNC connector, with options for digital recording (up to 32GB) and Wi-Fi streaming. It is housed on a welded stainless steel frame, and can travel to challenging locations easily on pneumatic wheels. The system can be operated upright or lying down, and can run on utility power or last up to two hours on an internal, rechargeable 12-volt DC battery.

“It allows the user to deliver video footage from regions of a drain pipe that common push cameras simply cannot access,” says Wells. “Municipalities tell us it’s the perfect tool for handling callouts, providing positive proof when a backup is due to a blockage somewhere in a service connection, and thus the resident’s responsibility. Contractors tell us it’s a great way to perform cross-bore inspections without the expense and maintenance of a lateral-launch inspection crawler.”

Pipeline Renewal Technologies, along with parent company Envirosight, is a longtime exhibitor at the WWETT Show. According to Wells, it’s the perfect format to get their inspection products in front of potential customers.

“WWETT attracts everyone who loves this product: commercial plumbers, cities and contractors,” he says. “CleanSteer combines inspection and jetter cleaning in a way no other tool does, offering these attendees a truly unique capability. Beyond that, the show is brimming with trailer jetters, combination trucks and pressure washers, all of which provide ample water pressure and flow for the CleanSteer.”

Wells says potential customers were excited to have the opportunity to demo the unit in the company’s booth. “We love bringing new technology to WWETT. It’s a hands-on crowd that’s not afraid to handle the equipment and tell you what they think,” says Wells. “We had a full demo set up for the CleanSteer, complete with a maze of clear PVC drain pipe. Once visitors experienced firsthand how they could steer the camera through multiple branches, they were sold on the concept.” 866/936-8476; www.pipelinert.com.