TECHNICAL FEATURES
PSI will impact that plate nine feet away with 98 pounds of force.
“When you put the right nozzle on, you can do things that you never thought were possible,” says Story. “You will not have to sit there and spend all day doing what you need to do.”
What sets the most efficient Tier 3 nozzles apart from others in the category is fluid mechanics engineering on a par with the aerodynamics of race cars or jet fighters.
identifying certain signs can help mitigate these issues. For instance, a sudden rush of water during the return flow could indicate the upstream manhole was closed instead of being left open.
Protect your investment
Slowing down and observing the results allows for cleaning to be performed in a single pass, which helps safeguard the hose from potential damage.
“If you are going into each pipe once, rather than three times, to clean it, you are basically tripling the life of a three to four thousand dollar hose,” says Story.
Beyond the wear and tear on the equipment there are also operational costs to consider such as water, fuel, as well as the productivity of the operators. “Cleaning more efficiently and effectively means lowering the operating costs per pipe and increasing what a city’s public works department can do,” explains Story. “And today, everybody is trying to figure out how to do more with less.”
Nozzle selection matters
Story cautions departments not to overlook the importance of nozzles even when expensive trucks are purchased for providing a water supply. While a department may have invested a half- million dollars for a truck to clean sewer lines, its impact is only as good as the nozzle at the end of the hose. “If you are using a cheap hundred dollar nozzle, well now you have a hundred dollar truck because it is the nozzle that cleans all of the pipe, not the truck,” explains Story.
As is known throughout the industry, there are tiers of nozzles which are rated for water efficiency from Tier 1 (about 30% efficient), Tier 2 (50-60% efficient), to Tier 3 (75-98% efficient).
However, even within the Tier 3 category, there are significant differences in levels of efficiency. Opting for the lower end Tier 3 nozzle with 75% efficiency could still lead to additional trips to refill. Also, such units may not remove restrictive sewer buildup or blockage in a timely manner.
According to Story, a Tier-1, 30-degree drilled nozzle running 72 gallons a minute at 2,200 PSI will only exert 13 pounds of force to move debris nine feet away from the nozzle. In contrast, a very high-efficiency Tier-3 nozzle running 60 gallons a minute at 2,000
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In the case of KEG’s Tier 3 nozzles, the high-performance fluid mechanics design leaves little room for power losses and excessive turbulence. After exiting the jetter hose, water travels into the body of the nozzle before moving through smooth, curved channels. This design enables the water to maintain its power and speed before entering the nozzle’s replaceable titanium ceramic inserts. Next, the water is funneled from a short conical shape to a larger, longer cylindrical shape, allowing a tight water pattern to emerge.
The internal workings of the nozzle, including the way the water gets turned, redirect the energy of the high-pressure water entering the nozzle as efficiently as possible. This results in what is needed for the task: more thrust and power using less water.
Optimal technique is key
Effective cleaning involves more than just using a powerful nozzle. It also entails understanding the proper positioning and placement of the nozzle within the pipe.
“We teach about the difference between laying a nozzle on the bottom of the pipe and centering it into the pipe,” says Story. “We teach about the flows and angles based on the size of the pipe - and the condition of the pipe based on the last camera footage.”
KEG trainers teach how to use a banked turn with the water hose to get more power with less water.
“If there is an issue with roots or heavy grease, you want to use a controlled rotation nozzle which will cut and chop it up enough to avoid debris going through the manhole and creating blockages downstream, ” says Story. He recommends using a nozzle capable of breaking up blockages to a particulate size small enough to go all the way to the treatment plant without creating a problem downstream.
The science behind best practices
With the advancement of nozzle technologies, there is a need for municipalities to get everyone on the same page about the proper techniques for cleaning sewer lines.
“What surprises even experienced sewer and storm professionals is the science that is behind the best practices,” says Story. “What we teach is based on understanding fluid dynamics. We look at the horsepower of your truck that drives the water pump for a rate of volume at a particular PSI level. We factor in the efficiency of the nozzle. What we want to get to is how to run the truck at a lot lower RPM and PSI that will clean the line easier, better, and more efficiently.”
“We can show operators how to use less water, less fuel, and cause less wear and tear. Bottom-line, it’s about how to get more work done while using fewer resources. And of course, this reduces the risk of the worst case scenario of blowing up toilets in people’s homes,” adds Story.
| February 2024 |
www.draintraderltd.com
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