Locate Underground Sewer Pipes

Locate Underground Sewer Pipes

Underground sewer pipes, are dirty business. They are generally possible to locate. But keep in mind there are some significant OHS issues involved when working around sewer.

The best first course of action is for you to request Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) plans for the area you’re interested in. Always keep in mind that with Dial Before You Dig you aren’t likely to get any information on private services, though they are very useful for working in public areas.

Sewer pipes are usually a non conductive material so detecting them will come down to a combination of environmental indicators and flexible tracer rod locating. You will probably come across some cast iron sewer pipes which technically are tradable, though due to the age of any cast iron sewer pipe you find it will be very corroded, meaning you’ll have a difficult time getting a strong signal into the pipe. Common sewer pipe materials you’ll come across are:

• PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)
• VC (Vitreous clay)
• Poly (Polyethylene or PE) – common in pressurised sewer pipes
• Concrete

To trace a sewer pipe with a flexible tracing rod you’ll need to find an access point. There is typically an inspection opening on a sewer pipe around where it enters the ground to help plumbers unblock blocked pipes. This is a great point for feeding in a tracer rod and is likely to be located on the other side of any S-bend or P-trap. Feeding a flexible rod past a P-trap or S-bend can be very difficult, it relies on you choosing a small enough diameter rod with a low minimum bend radius.

Once you’ve traced your flexible rod you need to ensure you’re using the correct safety measures to protect yourself from the hazardous exposure to sewer. Use:

• Protective gloves
• Protective glasses
• Disinfectant
• Disposable cloth
• Thorough washing with disinfectant soap