JETTING
Keeping the UK flowing Water jetting has become ubiquitous. You can of these flood alleviation assets. Making have your car pulverised clean in minutes at the best use of the advances in jet vac the local hand car wash centre. Then drive to technology, then coming onto the market, a DIY store to select a pressure washer that was an important part of the solution. blasts out water at nearly 1,900psi (130bar) Local flood authorities enhanced their to vaporise grime from your patio. This water surface water culvert cleaning programmes jetting technology has been made possible still further in the wake of more recent flood by technical advances that have transformed events, notably the winter floods of 2013-14 the way many asset maintenance tasks are and 2015‑16. Water jetting has been the prime now carried out in the commercial, utility method for carrying out this work. and public service sectors. Advances in Concern about climate water jetting technology are allowing change caused by , r sewers and culverts to be cleaned global warming is e t n i more quickly and efficiently than also informing This w s will sk i r ever before. It is at the forefront strategic drainage d o d o e fl c u d of surface water maintenance maintenance e r en programmes designed to reduce plans. In July, have be e UK, thanks h flooding risks. It is providing t s acros aintenance a sustainable method for to m mes to jet tackling the biggest current utility challenges, like fatbergs. programousands of It is also playing a key role in clean th culverts supporting wider infrastructure storm projects, such as Smart Motorways, and the upgrading of our rail system.
the Met Office published results of research which indicated there is a one in three chance of a new monthly rainfall record in at least one region each winter in the UK. The study, carried out as part of the National Flood Resilience Review, has led some climate change experts to call for yet more resources to be put in to controlling surface water flooding.
Written by Richard Leigh, Lanes Group
A jet vac tanker was recently used in London to tackle the Whitechapel fatberg, which gained notoriety around the world. On behalf of the Water Jetting Association, Richard Leigh looks at the use of water jetting systems in cleaning and maintaining water works
Water Management
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk
WATER JETTING WORKHORSE The main water jetting workhorse in the drainage and utility industries is the jet vac tanker. These carry a supply of water, from around 4,000 litres to 15,000 litres, extracting water from hydrants. Their jetting hoses can be anything up to 300 metres long. The hose run can E
CLEANING, STRIPPING, AND CUTTING Water jetting has evolved over the last 50 years. Apart from the home pressure washer systems, already mentioned, perhaps the most visible application is in drain and sewer cleaning and unblocking. Here, water jetting is combined with vacuumation technology. Water jets are used to clean and unblock pipes. Vacuumation systems then suck up the waste, for disposal at authorised sites. Water jetting is used for many other industrial tasks like surface cleaning, such as de-greasing machinery in factories, and industrial tank cleaning. It strips specialist coatings and paint as part of planned maintenance, as seen on oil rigs and ships. It is also used for materials cutting, including concrete, stone, asphalt, and steel, especially where micro-cracking and fracturing in concrete could be caused by using mechanical methods, and where fire risks need to be mitigated. DISASTER DRIVES INNOVATION Water jetting for sewer and drainage cleaning developed particularly rapidly from the early 1990s onwards. The trigger was, in part, a series of major floods, which highlighted the poor condition of storm water drains and culverts. Government agencies could see a clear need to improve the maintenance
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