Help Among Neighbours

Marc Ternes, Technical Sales



A high-rise residential building complex in the city centre of Graz / Austria was found to have soiled-wastewater downpipes in acute need of repair. Numerous tenants were plagued by damp walls in their flats.

TV inspection confirmed that downpipes were damaged and leaking. The local pipe rehabilitation contractor commissioned to reinstate the defective lines decided to do so using inliner technology. A robotic system which could be reliably and efficiently operated in these downpipes was urgently required for the rehab work.

 

That's where we came into play. The rehab contractor looked into a number of systems available on the market including our CLIMB robot, which can be used in lines ranging from 80 to 200 mm in diameter.
All candidates were evaluated in comparative testing at a nearby rehabilitation project site. The test results showed that our robot was clearly the best solution. CLIMB won convincingly in all disciplines. The contractor placed the purchase order immediately and the robot was delivered shortly thereafter for use in the downpipe rehabilitation project.

Only a week later, a comprehensive training programme began for the contractor's staff in the robot manufacturing plant. Besides studying theory, the programme participants gained practical experience by operating the robot in a test line facility. When the project was scheduled to begin, I travelled to Graz to provide technical support to the customer for this challenging rehab work. On the first day of the project, the CLIMB robot was sent in to work in the defective pipe lines from access points at breathtaking heights on the building's roof. Obstructions in each line were removed, deviations in the course of the line were evened out and the positions of the lateral inlet lines were precisely measured. In spite of the demanding conditions prevailing the site, the rehab work proceeded with no problems whatsoever. The CLIMB robot traversed seemingly impassable line configurations including two pipe bends in close succession with no difficulty of any kind.
On the second day, the lines were cleaned and subjected to thorough TV inspection. The inliner for each rehabbed line was then installed and cured in place. In the final step of the rehab process, the CLIMB robot reopened the lateral lines which had been closed off by the inliner.
The completed project was seen as a resounding success by all parties involved: the residents, the rehab contractor and of course the robot suppliers, Hächler AG Umwelttechnik.