Drain Tracing is a service provided by Independent Drain Testing to locate drains, which have become undetectable at ground level. From dealing with drainage systems on a daily basis, one of the most common issues we encounter is actually locating them and finding out where they lead to. The obvious challenge, of course, is the drains are underground, so nothing is actually visible and in a lot of cases obtaining accurate information about the drains in terms of drawings and plans can be difficult. While these drawings are available, they are not always accurate and can be incomplete as a result of the existing drainage system being altered or added to over time.

Drain tracing usually occurs when a pipe needs repair work. Restoration work is generally due to problems such as:

• Cracking in the pipes
• Blockages
• Gas pipes passing through clay pipes – following gas connection works
• Vermin

Redundant drain inlets that have not been securely sealed off are potential entry areas for vermin. Vermin are proficient at finding ways of entering houses and adept at avoiding eviction! Sourcing such entry points via the drains is essential to prevent the dreaded vermin from entering your home or business.

Renovations To An Existing Home

It is very important to know the location and lay of the pipes around your home. This is critical information, particularly if you are undertaking any renovations as you obviously want to avoid pipe damage. Sometimes the original building plans are not as accurate as one would hope. As mentioned earlier, this maybe due to additional pipe laying or restoration work since the original construction. Routinely manholes and access points need to be located. This is generally due to cement, gravel or weeds rendering them undetectable at ground level.

Drain Tracing At The Request Of Your Bank

When purchasing a new home you may be surprised to get a request to have a Drain Tracing test done. We have been requested on a number of occasions to carry out Drain Tracing as a prior condition to home purchasing. Recently some banks have requested potential buyers to have Drain Tracing carried out; to determine the distance of a communal pipe from the proposed purchased home.

The first and most basic method of Drain Tracing would be the good old reliable drain dye.

The dye comes in a number of colours and when mixed with water this in poured into an access point to confirm that it connects to another access point.

The second method of Drain Tracing would be a CCTV Camera Survey. The CCTV camera survey enables us to view the bends and distance of the drain.

The third and most technical method is the Transmitter (Sonde) and Receiver tracing. When a problem is evident in a CCTV Camera Survey or you want to know exactly where the camera is during the survey, a transmitter is activated; sending out a signal beneath the ground. The signal is found by the receiver at ground level thus locating the problem below and giving you a guided depth.