To contribute to our Main Features, contact Ian Clarke ian@nodigmedia.co.uk


are installed on a ‘cost today’ basis with little attention paid to the costs of running that pipeline effectively in the future, because that is a different budget. It will be interesting to see if this situation changes with the apparent move within the Water industry in AMP 6 from a focus on ‘output’ to one of ‘outcome’, one assumes this is in both financial and engineering terms. Will this mean that a longer-term view of profitability is being engendered rather than profits today - we will look at tomorrow later on?


If procurement is to be undertaken on a full life cost basis, then procurement officers need to know what they are dealing with other than just the fiscal numbers, they will need to understand the engineering involved both in construction costs and ongoing maintenance costs, otherwise the full cannot be available to them.


Various feedback comments also highlighted that, despite the privatisation of the Water Industry in the UK now fast approaching its 30 birthday, there is still in many places an ‘old boys network’ between client and contractor that underpins an ethos of ‘we have done it this way for as long as I can remember and I see no reason to change, let’s keep it like that because we know the costs, we know our contractors and we do not get too many problems to deal with and we have enough on our plate elsewhere, its only cleaning after all’. There is also the ‘preferred contractor’ for some engineers in that if ‘Joe’ (for want of a better name) can meet any other lowest bid we can still give him the work (‘Joe’ often being an old mate). No one by the way will admit to this but it appears from what some have said to happen all too often to be coincidence when viewed from the outside.


This situation needs to change and client engineers also need to know the underlying engineering of how cleaning works. There is another aspect of this, moving away from what might be termed the ‘old guard’, and this covers the newer, up and coming engineers. Many may have been taught the engineering behind effective pipeline management but they then find themselves in a situation which has been described by some respondents as ‘staid’ (see last paragraph for details). They are also more conversant with engineering by ‘remote control’ or ‘digitally’ and with something as simple as cleaning it is often easier to just keep the old system going as long as it works, there are of course far more interesting things to be working on for the young engineer.


There perhaps needs to be a refocusing of effort on existing networks and how cleaning is approached. There is the argument that whilst a new approach might be a bit more costly, the savings achieved by more effective cleaning, in terms of effectiveness and efficiencies at the treatment plant, better information for future planning and less ‘seat of the pants’ reactive operations, could well outweigh the additional cost ‘up front’ for the client companies.


From the contracting side there does appear to be this lack of anything other than health & safety training for operators. Whilst the company owners may get the manufacturers pitch about using the right nozzles and the right hoses to maintain the correct working pressure in any given situation, the question remains how often does this get passed down to the sharp-end operator of the machine for use when on a specific site. I can find no one to answer that effectively so I have to assume not often. It is vitally important that an operator uses the right kit for the right job. Insufficient knowledge on the street will not enable the operator to do the more difficult jobs, understand the importance of nozzle selection, using the right hoses, not over stretching the capabilities of the machine being used on site etc. which might ultimately backfire on the contracting company as a whole, and that is not good for business.


It is not realistic enough today to just simply throw a cleaning rod at the blockage problem first and then fall back on a jetter if that does not clear the pipe. Better education has to be the key to better cleaning control, process efficiency and eventually ultimate outcomes and profitability. It is not necessary for the operator to be highly educated in the underlying engineering behind each nozzle type or


the friction coefficients of hoses. But, to know which hoses work at longer distances and which nozzles are most effective on which type of blockage material is a must.


This does not only apply to cleaning of blockages of course. Cleaning also occurs in other pipeline situations such as pre-inspection cleaning to allow CCTV surveys to be done or cleaning prior to rehabilitation installations. The same principles apply. If the cleaning is not done correctly and the right information on what cleaning has achieved is not available then the potential additional costs involved might be huge with failed linings or a pipe failure where none was expected.


Finally from the customer side, any improvements in pipeline cleaning that might mean fewer blockages on their part of the network and therefore better removal of their wastewater/surface water run-off if it is handled by the Water Company has to be of benefit both to them and to the Water Company. Why? Because so many customers perhaps think they are paying more than they should be for the service they are currently getting. If nothing else it should mean fewer complaints and therefore less cost to the Water Company in dealing with them.


A pipe will only get as clean as the operator of the jetter allows it to be. Simply putting a hose and nozzle up a pipe and squirting some water at it until the flow runs clear is not good enough today, even if it used to be. Pipe cleaning to some extent is an art form all of its own and should only be undertaken by those with the knowledge of what is the correct implement to use and what the real required outcome is. It should not and must not be treated as just a little job that is only there to keep things flowing freely. Some say that attitudes have changed, maybe in some companies and with some individuals they have. Others say there is still a long to go get the whole industry attitude to change as much as is necessary.


Summarising all of the above it appears to come down to the fact that without the right attitude towards cleaning and particularly the complexities of high-pressure water jetting that may often get overlooked in the name of speed and profit, this is where the trouble really starts! How does the industry get the right attitude – COMMUNICATION – between everyone concerned in the correct operation of all pipelines from Government through Utility owner to contractor and property owners.


Thanks to everyone who contributed to this Main Feature. Ifyou wish to contribute to future featires, please refer to our website for deadlines.


follow us on twitter @draintrader | February 2016 | drain TRADER 17


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