The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to develop a plan to combat inflow and infiltration issues in your city or municipality. With that in mind, we wanted to offer a few tips to help your organization develop, and implement, a plan.
Check For Inflow and Infiltration
Inflow and Infiltration can cause multiple problems for cities and municipalities across the country. Wasted budget, sanitary sewer overflows, flooding basements and emergency response costs are just a few of the problems that are experienced when inflow and infiltration are not identified, and taken care of. Consider these ways to identify I&I issues in your area:
- Flow Monitoring: if you notice an abnormal spike, you may have an I&I issue
- Dyed Water Testing: this test can visually show you that there is an issue
- Vacuum Testing: a more in-depth test, that can identify the issue quickly
- Vacuum Testing with Soap: again more in-depth, with a visual component as well
- Visual Inspection: a simple, yet effective approach
Once you identify the I&I issues in your area, prioritize which issue needs to be handled first.
Inflow & Infiltration Tips
A manhole leak that loses ten gallons per minute, which is common, can turn into 5,256,000 gallons per year, which is a waste of approximately $10,512 per year*. And that is just one leak. As you plan to handle I&I issues in your area, keep these tips in mind:
- Conduct regular inspections to identify cracks or damage to pipes and manholes.
- Utilize a product that stops inflow and infiltration for good vs. a product that offers a temporary fix.
- Many manhole structures have joints and seams that can allow water to seep in. Sealing these joints and seams with wraps or seals can stop, or prevent inflow and infiltration.
- 80% of inflow and infiltration comes from between the frame and the cone. Pay attention to this area, and leverage sealing solutions to stop I&I in that area.
Solving Inflow & Infiltration
The plan and the tips are pointing you in the right direction. Now it’s time for action. A great low risk first step is to contact our team and tell us about your priority I&I challenge. We’ll contact you to schedule a free product demonstration. The product demonstration will focus on the primary I&I challenge you tell us about, will fix the issue, and offer hands-on experience with our products. This will enable you to feel confident in fixing additional I&I issues in your area. Request your free product demonstration today.