We recently received a request for a CCTV drain survey in Woking, situated close to the business hub on the edge of the town centre. The building offered office space to multiple corporate and small businesses and a large technology firm, so it is important for the local business community. The building manager, Sian Jameson, ensured the complex was maintained and running smoothly so that the tenants could work without any interruption.
But after weeks of heavy rain Sian yet again faced a big problem. Water had started gathering in the car park and also on some lower levels of the building, especially the basement. Tenants complaining of water rising were causing blockage of parking spaces and, more importantly, the underground electrical system which powered portions of the building. If water continues to keep rising, equipment worth crores may get damaged and the electric systems are a fire hazard for employees.
Sian thought it was due to the rain at first. Then, when it did not stop, she knew that the building was not able to handle the load of the rainwater. The drainage system had a maintenance check on a regular basis, but it appeared the flooding is too much for the system to handle. Hence, Sian quickly realised action must be taken for the flooding not to cause damage to any electrical equipment or posing a safety hazard to employees.
Knowing this was urgent, Sian contacted Your Drain Experts, to help with a CCTV drain survey and emergency drainage repairs. She had read some good feedback on Your Drain Expert’s resolving complex drainage systems from adverse weather, so she decided to call us.
Sian contacted us which our team responded to promptly and we arranged a CCTV drain survey for the next day at the Surrey office hub. Sian was informed by our technicians that they would carry out a survey which would enable them to survey the whole drainage system including the underground pipes for blockages, damage, etc., which caused the flooding. Since this was a CCTV drain survey, the system needed no digging work for the thorough inspection.
Woking Company Hub called us about a drainage issue so we sent our team. We started inserting the cameras into the drainage access points around the car park and the lower levels of the building. Sian watched the live footage on the monitor as the cameras moved along the inside of the pipes, showing exactly what was going on inside her building’s drainage system.
It didn’t take long for the problem to reveal itself. Our drainage engineers uncovered an extensive blockage of leaves, dirt and debris in several sections of the drainage pipes, especially within those under the car park, presumably caused by recent heavy rain washing debris into the system. The debris volume was so much that they created a blockage that did not allow the water to drain anymore and cause flooding.
Down the line, the CCTV footage showed something much worse in the drainage system. One of the main pipes below the ground had partially caved in probably due to the heavy rain’s water pressure. The tube’s narrowing was caused by the pipe collapse, which caused a choke that restricted the water flow severely. This was mainly why the drainage system could not handle such large volumes of rainwater, leading to flooding in the carpark and the building’s basement.
Your Drain Experts engineers have advised an immediate action after assessing the footage with Sian. The engineers suggested high-pressure water jetting to clear away the debris and dirt that had caused the blockage. This will allow the water to traverse through the pipes and avoid getting more blocked. After that, they recommended the fixing of the collapsed plumbing pipes at the location via a no-dig drain relining.
Sian gave the plan the green light right away since time was of the essence. The following day, our crew commenced with high-pressure water jetting. The strong water jets were able to blast away the debris, leaves and dirt which had clogged up the pipes and stopped them from overflowing and flooding further. Once our team was done with clearing the blockages the second step was to repair the collapsed pipe.
They inserted a flexible resin liner in the damaged section of the pipe during a no-dig drain relining. They inflated the liner and subsequently hardened it to create a new pipe within the existing one. This technique sealed the collapse and built the pipe’s wall for the entire length which would not let heavy rain damage the pipe anymore in the future.
The whole procedure happened over a couple of days without disturbing the office complex much. Sian saw improvements once the repair work was finished. The water in the car park and the basement started to drain away. The drainage system could now function at full capacity, even able to cope with the heavy downpours which had caused so much flooding.
Sian was relieved that the flooding issue was resolved so quickly, and the businesses in the office complex were able to return to normal operations without further concern. The CCTV drain survey revealed the cause and also gave a permanent fix.
Looking back, Sian said, “When we discovered the flooding, I was really worried we’d be in for a huge mess especially due to the bad weather we were having. We didn’t want water damage affecting the electrical circuits of the building. Your Drain Experts were fantastic. Within no time, they carried out a comprehensive CCTV drain survey that identified the root of the problem. They got quickly to work clearing the blockage and fixing the damaged pipe and we haven’t had any problems since. I can’t recommend them highly enough. They saved us from what could have been a bigger disaster.“
