Used Sewer Cleaners

A small camera saves Las Cruces big pains

Las Cruces Utilities uses a special little camera that looks like a remote controlled car to run around the sewers recording everything beneath the streets, making sure things are running smoothly.

This camera is able to move around freely and go where no man would fit. With "pan and tilt" capabilities, the camera can record every angle - serving as a sewer line inspector and GPS. It detects line breaks, roots, grease backups and storm water infiltration - it has even prevented street collapses due to line corrosion. As well as gathering information about new lines, this special camera can even find the exact location of older buried manholes for GPS.

"This camera helps us with maintenance and repair of sewer lines and with locations," said Glenn Ford, a Las Cruces Utilities Wastewater Collection System supervisor. "We can find out the distance from a main sewer line to a new property so our crew can identify the sewer service line/property service line to the customer residence."

The camera itself is pretty small, but the wheels and the adapter add height, enabling it to move in sewers with bigger flow.

"In the city of Las Cruces there are three types of lines: collectors, trunks and interceptors. They range from 6 inches to 42 inches in diameter, but almost 80 percent of the city lines are 8 inches," Ford said.

The approximate distance between manholes is 300 to 450 feet, but the camera has an extension that can go up to 650 feet.

"We usually record about 16,000 feet a month (give or take) depending on how many issues we run into," said Adrian Carranza, Las Cruces Utilities TV technician.

Here's how it works:

The TV equipment van and the "Vactor" (high-pressure sewer cleaning truck) set up next to a manhole. Immediately the Vactor cleans the sewers with water - freeing them of any obstacle.

Adrian Carranza, the TV technician, sets up the camera with wheels and adapters depending on the size of the pipe and the sewage flow.

Then, Ernest Smith, the heavy equipment operator, carefully lowers the camera down the manhole. Once the camera is inside the pipe, Carranza controls it with a computer inside the van.

With a speed of up to 4 feet per second, recording takes 20 to 30 minutes depending on how many connections they find. Connections are where smaller sewer lines from homes "join" with the main sewer line.

Sewer cleaning equipment

Waterflow have made significant investments in the design and manufacture of extremely powerful and versatile sewer jetting machines. These HGV mounted sewer cleaning vehicles have proved their worth, being the most effective way of clearing and cleaning medium to large diameter sewers. The latest sewer cleaning units have been fitted with water recycling capability. Water from the sewer can be filtered and recycled and used again as high-pressure water to flush out and remove silt and debris. Using hydraulically controlled suction hoses all this debris is removed from the sewer for transportation to a disposal site.

We have extensive experience in sewer pipe cleaning from 150mm to 1,500mm diameter, culvert cleaning, surface water drainage cleaning, cleaning and de-silting of petrol and oil interceptors, catch pit cleaning, pump pit de-greasing and de-silting and tank bund area cleaning. We can offer this service in any situation where heavy sludge or silt and debris needs to be removed from sumps, pits or similarly confined spaces.

Waterflow best practice: Waterflow is a registered Waste Carrier under the Disposal of Waste Regulations 1996, ensuring that we meet all requirements and recommending working practices. Drain cleaning – Small diameter

With over forty years high pressure jetting and mechniacal boring of drains, Wateflow has encountered most situations before. The company has continuously invested in the best equipment available for this task ensuring that our clients always receive the most efficient service possible.

Using water at very high pressure has been acknowledged as the most efficient method for cleaning drainage, quickly removing fat, grease and silt that often accumulates within small diameter drains and sewers.

Our operatives are trained in the safe use of this equipment and will be experienced in dealing with blocked drainage systems so that solutions are quickly provided to minimise any disruption or damage that could result.

Our fully equipped “van pack jetting units” contain a variety of specialised equipment including electromechanical drain boring tools, manhole lifting equipment and of course, high pressure drain jetting capability.

Sewer Cleaning Services