Fifth Annual Cured-In-Place Pipe Survey Finds Over 5,000 Leaks, With 1 in 3 Liners Leaking Over 20 Gallons Per Minute

Electro Scan Inc. announced results from its Fifth Annual Survey of Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) finding over 5,000 leaks for the twelve-months ending December 31, 2020. In 2020, 33% of CIPP showed leakage rates of 20 Gallons per Minute (GPM) or more, with only 15% achieving zero leakage – the lowest level since beginning its annual survey.

During the year, a 52-inch CIPP liner was evaluated finding leaks missed by Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras.

Since 2014, Electro Scan Inc. has conducted over 1,500 CIPP assessment projects covering 40 suppliers. CIPP is a widely used method of pipe rehabilitation using a variety of composite materials to reline existing pipes without digging. Temporarily covering a homeowner’s connection, robotic cutters are required to re-open each service; often resulting in new leaks. As a result, lined pipes often leak more AFTER rehabilitation, than BEFORE rehabilitation, not discovered using visual inspection.

Electro Scan represents a machine-intelligent in-pipe leak detection solution that provides pinpoint locations of leaks with 1cm (3/8 inch) accuracy. Results are automatically provided in Gallons per Minute or Liters per Second.

Continued use of CCTV to accept CIPP as watertight and reduced quality control during the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely contributed to 2020 results.

The annual survey consolidated results from utilities, licensed contractors, and Electro Scan Services, worldwide. Utilities purchasing Electro Scan in 2020, typically added to existing CCTV trucks, grew 60%.

In 2020, Electro Scan Inc. was commissioned by a leading utility to compare 50-year-old Vitrified Clay Pipe (VCP), 10-year-old CIPP, and recently installed CIPP. Recently installed CIPP represented 35% of total footage contributing 50% of infiltration, with 80% of re-connections substantially leaking compared to only 2% found by CCTV.

Today, an increasing number of CIPP suppliers recommend owners use ASTM F2550 for liner acceptance to differentiate their liners from other Trenchless solutions.

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