How Your Company Can Test for Defects and Leaks in Your Sewer Systems

The day-to-day operations of your company depend on the proper operation of the mechanical infrastructure of your building. One important aspect of this infrastructure is your building’s sewer system. If your building can’t eliminate waste through the sewer system, you could experience significant disruptions that could cost your company a lot of money. That’s why it’s important to utilize a professional plumber to test for leaks and defects on an ongoing basis.

Smoke Test

One good way to test for even small defects is to utilize a smoke test. This test utilizes artificial smoke forced through the sewer system to see if there are any small cracks present. The main advantage of a smoke test is that it can show problems inside your company’s building. If you have an indoor leak, you will see smoke begin to exit through small openings in the walls and ceiling, indicating that you need to have your sewer system repaired as soon as possible.

Pressure Test

Another effective test that can be used to find leaks is a pressure test. This approach uses test plugs to block certain parts of the sewer system so that a plumber can get a pressure reading on the temporarily isolated portion of the system. The big advantage of a pressure test is that it is easier to find the exact location of a problem since individual sections of the sewer system can be isolated.

Dye Test

Using a brightly-colored dye, a dye test flushes this dye through the sewer system with water to see if the dye shows up somewhere it’s not supposed to be. For an outdoor leak, the dye test is one of the best options since the bright dye easily stands out from the natural surroundings. A dye test is typically used as a preliminary test by the property owner before a plumber performs more extensive tests.

Visual Inspection

To get a complete picture of the state of your sewer system, a visual inspection may be necessary. The good news is that a visual inspection is fairly easy to do using a remote camera system. Mounted on a long wire that can be pushed through the sewer system, these cameras allow for a quick and accurate diagnosis of a variety of sewer system problems.

Don’t Wait for Problems

The key to taking care of your building’s sewer system is to act before problems occur. By performing these tests regularly, you can make sure that your sewer system isn’t developing any problems. Otherwise, you could be left with a big mess to clean up that could cause major interruptions to your business’s operations.