Water Main Cleaning: Importance, Techniques And Dos & Don’ts

By Author: Danniel Kollen
Total Articles: 24
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We humans can survive sans food but, water? No way! And not just water, access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. Nobody can snatch it away from you. But then, the source of it in urban landscapes is the water main or the water supply system. Just as every system requires proper maintenance to function, water mains too demand regular cleaning. A failure to do so on a timely basis can cause water discolouration or many such problems. Let’s explore those along with water main cleaning techniques and some dos and don’ts during the process.

Importance of Water Main Cleaning:

There are three primary reasons to get your water mains cleaned up. Enlisted are those:
• To prevent blockages in the water supply system
• To hinder sewer overflow and leakages
• Ensure safe drinking water
• Meet the standard set by the authorities

Latest Cleaning Techniques for Water Mains:

Do you know we have quite a few ways to address the issue? Thanks to technological advancements! The four that we have at our disposal today are:

• Air scouring
...
... Sediments and biofilms often build up inside the water mains causing disruption in the flow of water and contaminating it. A probable sign of this is discolouration, which many whines about. Air Scouring takes care of this issue, freeing the water from loose deposits, silts, slimes and debris. Though the process takes about 8 hours to alleviate dirt from 1-2km of water, it’s effective, non-abrasive and affordable. The water and compressed air forced into the mains is so efficacious that specialists often resort to this method for prompt preventive maintenance.

Fortunately, USA Ltd, the pipe and drain repair, renovation and inspection specialist, undertakes this technique. So, you can always approach them for professional-level services if you experience water discolouration or miscellaneous issues at any point in time.

• Flushing
This particular method gets rid of sediments that naturally build up inside the water mains through flushing of water at top speed after removing hydrants.

• Swabbing
This process involves thrusting of a large sponge through the mains to get rid of debris and sediments.

• Ice pigging
Taking care of water resources is fine, but at the cost of the environment? Not wise! Therefore, we have ice pigging at our disposal, which involves pushing of thick ice slurry into the water mains and pulling it out from the hydrants. Expect the least wastage of water resources from this method.

Advice for Households Getting their Water Mains Cleansed

Now that you know all about the techniques and can narrow down to one according to your convenience, bear in mind a few dos and don’ts.

• Collect water in containers, buckets and toilet bowl so that you can use them when the specialist blocks water supply for cleaning purposes.

• Avoid turning on the tap when the work is in progress as it will only draw discoloured water into your pipes.

• After the completion of the job, run unsoftened cold water for about 10 minutes to get rid of the discoloured water.

The importance of water main cleaning is no secret now, nor are the techniques applied by service providers. Go for them to prevent water discolouration and hinder disease outbreaks in your household. You may contact USA Ltd if you are in Ireland for a professional touch. This specialist has the requisite tools and equipment to conduct the job flawlessly. Besides, they share their expertise in CCTV and GPR surveys for pipe and drain repair and renovation. So, you can always hire such services when you are in need.

Keep an eye on our articles for more of such informative reads.

Author Bio:
Writing articles only on lifestyle, IT and fashion genre are not the only write-ups where this author specialises in. She researches topics like GPR survey, no-dig pipe solution and drains repair and renovation too! Follow her articles to draw insights into civil engineering work as a whole.