CCTV Survey of retail park, Guildford
A major expansion of the car park and refurbishment of some older buildings was being planned at a major retail park near Guildford with an upgrade of the servicing infrastructure being also on the cards for future tenants. Major work on the site will start which will make it more appealing to retailers and their customers.
Mark Harrison worked as a development manager at the retail park overseeing the renovation. The renovation project had to go to plan to prevent delays, budget overruns or other issues that would impact the retailers or customers. One of the factors to check of the renovation was that the drainage system, which had been in place for decades, would not cause any problems during or after construction.
Mark knew that renovation projects that are large need thorough review of existing systems or infrastructure, including drainage system. Damage or blockage of drainage pipes could potentially stunt progress during construction or, even worse, lead to flooding or water damage after facilities get set up. Keeping this in mind, he decided to get in touch with Your Drain Experts because we carry out CCTV drain surveys and have a lot of experience with commercial jobs like his.
Mark had worked with Your Drain Experts before at a smaller site and was confident they could do the job. Mark was aware they were efficient and dependable as well as uncovering hidden drainage problems before they caused headaches. Mark suspected the drainage at Guildford Retail Park was old enough to have unseen issues, so wanted to resolve anything before building commenced.
Our team responded quickly to Mark’s request and arranged for a CCTV drain survey for the next week. The technicians told Mark that the CCTV drain survey would let them see through the entire drainage system of the retail park. With a high-resolution camera, the technicians can see every inch of the pipes. This means they can see any potential blockages, cracks, collapses and more will deteriorate through the renovation process or afterwards.
They started the survey first thing in the morning so they wouldn’t disrupt the retailers. The Your Drain Experts crew showed up with the latest CCTV gear and entered the drainage system through a number of manholes around the retail park to start the inspection. While the camera went through the underground pipes, Mark could view in real-time, on a monitor, the internal condition of the drainage system, while the technicians were watching.
After a few minutes, the footage revealed several problems that would need to be fixed immediately before the renovation work commenced. The pipes in certain locations were heavily encrusted with debris and silt built up, most likely over the years as more and more people visit the retail park, but not much work had been done to maintain them. The drains will have excess capacity of 10 percent because of this buildup of debris, which will not be able to handle the extra load after renovation.
Of greater concern was that we found cracks and fractures in the older drain sections. In various places, the tubing had changed due to shifts in the ground over the years, resulting in misalignment and gaps where water was leaking into surrounding soil. These cracks and leaks were severe, as they could cause larger collapses later, possibly flooding or impacting the new building.
The technicians showed Mark the footage taken and submitted the report after finishing the survey. Mark was advised to make some changes to the drainage system that would help the drainage channel deal with the influx. First, they suggested cleaning the whole portion of the drainage system via jetting at high-pressure to flush out the debris, silt, and build-up that are affecting the smooth flow of water. Next, they recommended fixing the broken and misaligned pipes using the no dig drain relining. The relining process will also help to make the pipes strong enough to handle the increased capacity, with no need for expensive excavation.
Mark was happy with the detailed inspection results and the clear recommendations made by our team. Realising the need for a working drainage system, he approved the reclaiming or cleaning of it, before the renovation took place.
The next week, we came back with Pitstop Drainage to do the work. They utilised high-pressure water jetting to remove debris and silt from the drainage pipes and the system was restored back to full capacity. Our team used no-dig drain relining to fix the cracked and displaced sections of the drain pipes. For this, a flexible liner is inserted in the damaged pipes. When this liner gets inflated, it hardens to make a solid seal. The whole procedure was done without any digging, minimizing disruption to the retail park and enabling the renovation project to stay on schedule.
As soon as the repairs were done, Mark received a complete report from Your Drain Experts which included before and after video footage. The report indicated that the drainage system is now in perfect condition to cope with the increased capacity required for the retail park renovation and extension project.
After the drainage problems were fixed, the remodel got off without a hitch. With Mark’s initiative and Your Drain Experts’ hard work, the retail park was well-drained and ready for refurbishment without risk of drainage problems affecting the renewal and expansion of the retail park.
Looking back Mark commented: “Simply put, the refurbishment of Guildford Retail Park was such a large scheme, that we couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong. Any unexpected drainage issue would only delay the construction work.” Your Drain Experts came in to do a full CCTV drain survey. This uncovered many issues we didn’t even know existed. They quickly and efficiently cleansed the system and fixed the damaged pipes, allowing us to carry on with the renovation without doubt. Their competent and informative service prevented us from experiencing problems later on, and I would highly recommend them.”