ICY SEWER INSPECTIONS using ‘off-the-shelf’ devices Ken Johnson, Stantec The problem: An icy manhole associated with the sewage lagoon in the community Sheshatshiu, Labrador, required a comprehensive inspection for freezing conditions that had been attributed to flow interruptions and possibly a lagoon overflow event; access to the manhole was problematic, and still photographs would not provide a complete picture of the situation for an evaluation.
The result: An icy screen shot of high definition video from the GoPro camera shows a significant ice build up on the inside of the manhole due to insufficient insulation (an attempt was made to use blue board insulation, but this was ineffective). The manhole is designed with a weir structure (in the right of the photo), which controls the flow from the lagoon, and may be subject to flow restrictions because of freezing. A second LED bar was ultimately strapped to the system to provide an additional light source.
The tools: The GoPro camera ($300) provides a useful tool for site inspections of all types with the capability for a continuous high definition video (1080p) ‘picture’ of site conditions, which is beyond discontinuous the ‘scenes’ provided by still photographs; an LED light bar ($15) is a simple and inexpensive source of light for video collection. The tinkering: The so-called ‘selfie stick’ provides a telescoping platform to attach both the GoPro and the LED light, which may be extended into the manhole. Some creative tinkering with the selfie stick was completed using metal banding, some pipe clamps, and some double sided automotive tape, which created a robust system for the high definition video collection. Flame on: With the lights on for a trial video collection, an ‘off-theshelf’ solution is created for the icy manhole inspection in Sheshatshiu. The GoPro is mounted ‘upside down’ on the selfie stick, but the camera has a function to turn the image collection 180 degrees, so the video is recorded ‘right side up.’
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Winter 2015
| WESTERN CANADA WATER | 37