Perhaps the most difficult part of a drainage engineer’s job is finding out where a sewer is blocked. Most drainage engineers will resort to a using drain jetting equipment when a blockage occurs in the hope that the high pressure jet of water is powerful enough to blast though the clog. However if jetting fails the engineer may have to resort to CCTV survey equipment.
CCTV survey equipment is a fairly new type of technology which drainage experts use to see inside a drain. The equipment essentially consists of a small camera which is inserted into the drain either on a pushed rod or on a remote controlled device. The camera, with lighting equipment, is pushed through the drain so that images can be relayed back to the surface. These images are interpreted by the drainage expert who’ll be able to asses the condition of the drain and explain the cause of the blockage. By having this information to hand the engineer may then also be able to discuss a possible remedy.
Most drain blockage problems that are not able to be shifted using jetting equipment are caused by root intrusion into the pipe or by the disposal of non-flushable items into the drainage system.