Cctv Drainage Survey For New Homeowners - How It Is Done And Why Is It Important

By Author: Danniel Kollen
Total Articles: 24
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When buying a home or renovating one, a drainage survey is the last thing on the homeowner’s mind. But here’s the thing - knowing exactly what is going on inside your pipelines can help you maintain and extend the life of your drainage system and septic tank connections and avoid more expensive rehabilitation procedures. A CCTV drain survey is the most effective way to do so.

What Is A CCTV Drainage Survey?

In a nutshell, a drainage survey is all about looking inside drainage systems with the help of a CCTV Camera. This is done to investigate any anomalies or damages inside pipelines. It can be a very good preventive measure to assess the integrity of pipelines and administer a rehabilitation procedure if needed, in the least invasive manner and at an early stage.

Before CCTV cameras were invented, a drainage inspection procedure was carried out only after having a blockage or pipeline leak. And the process needed digging the ground to access the underground asset. High-end CCTV cameras are inserted into your drains to bring real-time feeds allowing the survey engineer to identify any issues and ...
... remediate for the same, in a simple, and quick manner.

Now that we have CCTV cameras, it totally transforms the scenario. Now you can have an in-depth and up-close investigation inside all kinds of drainage systems in a domestic setup - from apartment buildings to independent houses.

Importance of CCTV Drainage Surveys

If you are having drainage problems and resorting to quick fixes and stalling a proper drainage survey, you may be in bigger, costlier trouble.

Whether you are a homeowner or a tenant, a drainage issue, either a one-time or persisting issue, getting a CCTV survey is for everyone. And sometimes, it impacts your insurance claims if you can’t show a single inspection when you are facing a problem. So “having a drain problem” and “don't know why'' are not the best terms to go together in this age of easily available CCTV Surveys in Ireland. The survey can find out several parameters including:

• Structural Integrity - any cracks or fractures in the pipeline
• Potential causes of blockage
• Any root intrusion that may be small now, but can become a big issue later on
• Pitch fibre pipes

Having a pre-purchase drainage survey is always a wise decision for new home buyers. It is not usually included in the standard building survey. Homeowners have to get it done separately.
First of all, it helps home buyers to make a conscious decision about buying the property before they sign any contracts. Secondly, it can be an integral part of the property assessments to resort if you’ll need any necessary repairs in future.

According to the Irish Building Regulations, lateral drains in private properties that connect to the public sewage system are considered public. It can impact your Build Over Agreement or Home Extension plans. Therefore, having an accurate location of the drain is crucial for obtaining a Build Over Agreement and plans to divert the home extension plan. It is just to assure the local water authority that access to the pipe/drainage system will not be interfered with by your build-over project.

Drainage Survey For Domestic Sites Using CCTV - How It Works

How it works is really simple - you can dial up a trusted Underground Survey specialist in your city. In Ireland, there is USA Ltd. who have been in the business for over 30years.

Call your chosen survey engineer and arrange an initial inspection. The engineer shall visit your site, look around superficially, and will discuss the core issues you are facing in your drainage system and chalk out a survey plan, with the equipment and workforce needed. Based on that, the costing is assessed and finalised.

Once you have a plan then the engineer shall come back with his equipment and men and start the process. It can be done on the same day or you can allot a time on any other day. The service is supposed to be flexible.

During the process, the most crucial moment is when the CCTV camera is inside your drain. Usually, a manhole is used as the most appropriate access point, but based on the setup of your home, there may be a requirement for opening up pipelines under the sink or removing drain guards. And from this point on, you won’t be able to use the site, like the washroom or kitchen, wherever the work is going on.

Based on the findings of the camera images, the engineer shall create a report for you to use for further remediation in case of a problem. The CCTV survey data can be the most integral document for a pipeline rehabilitation schedule and cost. Nowadays, the best underground survey engineers interrogate WRc standard coded CCTV Data.

Author Bio:<

If you are planning to buy a new home, consider having a CCTV drainage survey to have an in-depth overview of the condition and value of the property. Get more valuable insights on the little known facts about drainage surveys and underground rehabilitation. Keep reading the articles by this author.