Smoke Testing for Leak Detection Sydney

Are you fearful about leaks in your sewer pipes? You probably should be worried; these leaks can be very dangerous and deadly—because they usually release flammable methane gas and hydrogen sulphide!

When you suspect that your water or gas pipes have leaks or other defects that need to be repaired, first of all you will need to locate them so that the problem will be fixed. Your pipes may already have leaks, but you are not aware of it. As a matter of fact, locating your underground pipes requires some devices and professional knowledge. The process doesn’t always involve digging around your house to find them. There is an easier way to locate your pipelines and leaks so you can exactly know where they are placed. We can perform a smoke test to find even the tiniest leaks in your sewer pipes very quickly and effectively. Our smoke test procedure is conducted by placing a blower over a manhole while a non-toxic artificial smoke is pressurized through all pipes to discover any possible leaks. The smoke flows out of the cracks from the places where there are faults in the pipes. After the thoughtful inspection all connected lines will be additionally checked to detect even the minor leaks or defects so all openings can be corrected after testing. Smoke tests are very useful to discover all defects in pipes, especially in sanitary sewer systems that cannot be completely sealed. Smoke testing process is usually applied when the plumbing system is older to identify cracks, leaks or breaks in closed systems of pipes.

Municipalities are using smoke testing widely from the beginning of the sixties to detect sewer mains, pumping plants and sources of unwanted rainwater as a result from a broken manhole. Today the same diagnostic technique is applied successfully in residential and commercial projects when the leak is concealed and can’t be located with other methods. With the smoke testing the observer also identifies the escaping rainwater in a place when the inspection camera can’t locate the unwanted leaks. The major advantage in the testing process is that the drain does not have to be clogged; everything will be undertaken under normal usage condition. Blocking off a sewer system is not needed. For more effective testing all you need is to avoid windy days as a smoke is not visible enough from the source of the leak. Preparations for smoke testing are essential for successful inspection because you need to be aware of the entire system, all underground lines, manholes and drains in the area that will be tested.During periods of heavy rains, septic systems become sluggish as a consequence of rainwater that has entered the system. Smoke testing can easily detect how and where water is infiltrated without using the camera and a locator as a labour intensive and long procedure. Therefore, the testing routine doesn’t have any limitations, so you can easily detect if a particular system has potential source of the problem or just to identify the places where the system lost its integrity.

The majority of sanitary systems are 100 years old and usually made from outdated materials. Dangerous breaks in the lines in the collection system can be traced easily because the source of any gas or water entering can be detected in a very short period of time.

Although we use this system for detecting leaks of water and gas, smoke testing can be an effective way to identify and locate "lost" manholes before a problem occurs. Our job is to make sure your underground lines are working properly without any hidden flows that may be dangerous to you and your family. That’s why we are using progressive technology for underground utility locating in order to prove accurate results.