Brick Removal Stops Flooding Problems
Bespoke technology used to unblock storm water clay drain
Summary
Shopkeepers in a small shopping complex in Nottingham had to contend with flooding as an engineering brick had become lodged in a storm drain. The brick had lodged at an angle which prevented the run off of rain water which was backing up and flooding the shops located within the building. As renowned ‘problem solvers’ Tube Tech were contacted by the landlords following a recommendation from Dyno Rod, the UK’s leading drain contractor.
Challenge
- An engineering brick had become stuck inside a storm water clay drain.
- The brick was located 6 meters down the clay drain and lodged so firmly that other contractors had been unable to move the brick never mind remove it.
- Rain water, unable to run off down the storm drain, was backing up and flowing into the shops within the building.
- Access to the pipe was restricted as the manhole and the pipe were 700mm below ground and it was essential that the clay storm drain pipe was left completely undamaged.
- The landlords of the shopping complex believed they had tried ‘everything’ and had been told by a local standard drainage jetting contractor that their hope of removing the brick was impossible.
- If they had not contacted Tube Tech then the only option available to the client would have been to remove and replace the entire storm drain – incurring huge costs and even more disruption for the shopkeepers.
Solution
- This unusual request providing the Tube Tech R&D engineers with a unique challenge.
- Tube Tech’s innovative high pressure water pump with pulse power adaptation was deployed to either shatter or dislodge the brick.
- Following a simultaneous camera inspection the Tube Tech team managed to get the specialist equipment behind the brick and release its hold on the drain wall.
- They then began to move it towards the manhole entrance. The brick once again became lodged against the drain wall when only 4 metres from the entrance where it became stuck against an overlap protrusion in the drain.
- Attacking the edge of the brick with a cutting tip, devised by Tube Tech’s R+D department from video footage of the obstruction, the team carefully eroded and thereby dislodged the brick.
- With the brick successfully removed the Tube Tech team camera inspected the pipe once again and high pressure water jetted the drain to remove other debris which had built up behind the brick during the time the drain was blocked.
Client Comment
“The Tube Tech team were onsite for such a short time yet the difference they made was significant. The fact that they custom made equipment to solve our problem in what appears to me to be an otherwise very low tech industry is a real testament to their ‘failure is not an option’ creed!”
Tube Tech comment
Scott Donson, Technical Sales Manager: “ It is surprising that something as innocuous as an engineering brick could be so difficult to remove. I am certain that the new system developed specifically for this contract will be called upon again at some point.”
Clients can be contacted via Tube Tech for references.
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