Cherne Air-Loc® Smoke Testing Products - Image 2

Cherne Air-Loc® Smoke Testing Products

Smoke Testing

Smoke testing sewer systems was introduced in the early 1960’s as a method of identifying areas where extraneous water was entering sanitary sewer systems. Today, smoke testing is known to be a proven method of effectively identifying inflow (storm/ground water entry into sanitary sewer), connected roof and basement drains, yard drains, illegal taps, and storm sewer cross connections.

Reducing inflow and infiltration saves costs from treating groundwater at wastewater treatment plants. The Environmental Protection Agency has instructed municipalities to eliminate inflow and infiltration into sewer systems. Smoke testing sewer systems is an effective way to accomplish this goal.

Smoke testing is accomplished by isolating a section of sewer line and introducing smoke into the line utilizing a smoke blower and smoke-generating device. (Important: Notify all local authorities and citizens before conducting smoke tests! Cherne provides guidelines for properly preparing and announcing to the community that a smoke test will be conducted.) Lines are first isolated using pipe plugs. Then smoke is introduced into the sewer system. The test crew then checks buildings, roof vents, the street, and other areas that potentially could be a source of extraneous water and records those locations for corrective follow-up.

Smoke Blowers

Cherne offers the broadest line of smoke testing equipment available today. Our smoke blowers are available for either traditional “smoke bombs” or liquid smoke fluid. Available with Honda or Briggs & Stratton engines, our units generate up to 3,769 cubic feet per minute of airflow to quickly introduce smoke into the sewer system. Cherne’s blowers are made of lightweight cast aluminium and feature a 1/2″ foam cell gasket to insure a leak-free seal on manholes and minimize vibration. The traditional smoke blower has a smoke bomb box holder, whereas the liquid smoke blower is supplied with a pressurized tank, hose and all components necessary to conduct the smoke test.

Smoke Generating Devices

Cherne Smoke Generating Devices (SGD), or “smoke bombs”, produce a thick, dense smoke that is highly effective for performing smoke tests. Smoke generating devices are timeproven, simple to use, and can be used by them selves or with most smoke blowers on the market today.

Smoke Fluid

Cherne’s Smoke Fluid also produces thick, dense smoke to effectively perform smoke tests. While Smoke Fluid requires some additional equipment to perform a smoke test, municipalities have found smoke fluid to be easy-to-regulate and has virtually an indefinite storage life.