CONTINUAL MANHOLE REHABILITATION HELPS UTILITY DISTRICT AVOID REPLACEMENTS

PROBLEM / Recently, Washington’s Lakehaven Utility District restored 70 precast concrete manholes (860 vertical feet) that were exhibiting medium to heavy deterioration with exposed aggregate. Having completed various projects throughout the past three years for the Lakehaven Utility District, including 102 manhole rehabilitations, applicator Pro-Vac had the extensive experience necessary for a successful manhole rehabilitation.

SOLUTION / Prior to surface preparation, Pro-Vac took measures to protect the flow lines, then removed all material from the inside of the structures and pressure washed the interior. On the heavily deteriorated structures, Epoxytec’s Silicate, a cementitious base coat, was applied to create a smooth finish. Once cured, the structure was pressure washed again, and CPP Sprayliner was applied at 120 mils.

RESULT / Spark tests and a pull test were used as a final measure to ensure proper application. Pro-Vac has been a part of Epoxytec’s Certified Applicator Network since 2013 and was well prepared to assist the city in finding an epoxy coating solution that would provide protection against corrosion caused by high levels of hydrogen sulfide. 877-463-7699; www.epoxytec.com

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MANHOLE CREW GETS MORE DONE IN LESS TIME

PROBLEM / Several years ago, the city of Lexington, Kentucky, decided it was no longer satisfied with deteriorating and sinking manholes. Officials searched for a new way to effectively repair and maintain the sewer manhole system. They needed a way to make the streets smoother, and ultimately, safer. The old method of using air hammer and saws was slow, labor intensive, costly and yielded poor results.

SOLUTION / The Mr. Manhole system transformed the way that Lexington repairs its manholes.

RESULT / The manhole crew supervisor for Lexington commented, “Mr. Manhole has sped up the process quite a bit. Before Mr. Manhole, we were doing three or four manholes a day. With Mr. Manhole, we’re able to repair up to 10 per day. Start to finish with Mr. Manhole takes 20 to 25 minutes. The old way would take us 2 1/2 to 3 hours.” 567-242-2221; www.mrmanhole.com

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CODING SYSTEM CLEARS MANHOLE INSPECTIONS BACKLOG 

PROBLEM / AIMS Companies operates out of 17 locations across the United States and provides a wide range of municipal wastewater services. Among its most popular offerings is manhole inspection, which has seen increased demand in recent years. As a result, project completion rates increased and datasets began to swell. “They were simply doing more in the field than we could do in the office,” says Shane Willis, data manager for AIMS.

SOLUTION / Unwilling to compromise on customer experience and outcomes, AIMS turned to WinCan Sewermatics AI to extend the bandwidth of its team, coding manhole inspections at a faster rate. It provides fast, AI-powered defect coding for pipeline and manhole inspection, providing clean, fully processed data faster than most inspection teams.

RESULT /  AIMS sent manhole inspection media to Sewermatics via WinCan’s online inspection platform, WinCan Web. From there, WinCan’s Sewermatics AI could scan manhole data, identifying defects and coding them according to MACP. With a final quality check from the Sewermatics team, the data could receive the stamp of approval before it was made available to AIMS once again via WinCan Web — fully coded and AI accurate. “We were way behind on our manhole inspection process,” recalls Willis, but with over 1,100 manhole inspections already sent to Sewermatics, AIMS is expecting to continue working with AI to ensure deliverables continue to reach customers on time. 877-626-8386; www.wincan.com