Types of hydrodynamic sewer cleaning machines and features of their application

Currently, special installations - hydrodynamic machines - are used to clean sewer pipes with heavy contamination.

Hydrodynamic machines - these are devices whose operating principle is based on the use of special nozzles (nozzles) that use water (sometimes with the addition of chemicals) under high pressure and clean and remove accumulated deposits on the walls of sewerage, heating, fuel oil pipelines and others where blockages may occur .

The main manufacturers and suppliers of high-pressure machines in Russia are:

• Cam Spray (USA);
• "ProfTehSnab" (RF);
• MASTERTOOLS-PRO (RF);
• ROTHENBERGER RUSSIA (RF);
• KROLL (Germany);
• TEC-GROUP (RF) and others.

Varieties

Hydrodynamic machines are produced in three types: car-based, trailer-based and mobile devices.

• Vehicle based

These units, together with a water tank, are mounted on trucks. They are mainly used for cleaning house and network sewers with a diameter of up to 1000 mm.
The pump is driven by the car engine through the transfer case and is capable of creating water pressure of about 300 atmospheres; the hose length can reach 120 m.

• Based on a trailer

These devices are installed on single-axle or two-axle car trailers. The pump is driven by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. There is also a water container.
The pump provides a pressure of about 200 atmospheres. Hose length – up to 90 m.
Such machines are capable of cleaning channels with a diameter of up to 500 mm. They are more mobile and can be installed directly near the house or cottage during work.

• Mobile

These devices are lightweight, which allows them to be transported manually by one or two people. They are mounted on single-axle trolleys with two wheels. They are driven by a gasoline or electric engine and are connected to the mains water supply during operation. They are used for washing internal sewer pipes and heating pipes with a diameter of 25–250 mm.
Pump pressure is about 200 atmospheres, hose length is no more than 60 m.

Main characteristics

In the operation of installations for cleaning drainage channels, the following characteristics are important:

• pressure - productivity and quality of work depend on its value;
• water flow - determines the size of the pipe being cleaned;
• hose length – gives the maximum cleaning distance in one go;
• engine type (electric or internal combustion engine) – determines the place of work (indoors or outdoors);
• engine power - the greater it is, the more powerful the pump can be used and, accordingly, the larger pipe diameter can be cleaned.

Advice

To choose the right type of unit required, you need to proceed from the size of the pipe and the performance of the pump: a smaller quantity may not give the desired effect, and a larger quantity is simply impractical in terms of water, fuel or electricity consumption.

Table 1. Water consumption depending on the diameter of the pipeline

Device

The installation for cleaning wastewater drainage channels consists of the following elements:

• drive - it is a diesel, gasoline or electric engine connected to the pump with a rigid or disengaged clutch;
• pump – high-pressure plunger or coaxial pumps are used;
• high pressure working hose wound on a drum;
• a nozzle with holes that cleans the pipe.

Operating principle

The operation of a hydrodynamic machine is based on the supply of water under high pressure through special nozzles (nozzles) that have holes for water to flow forward and backward.

• Through the holes directed forward, blockages and deposits on the pipe walls are washed away.
• Water exiting through the rear-facing holes creates a jet thrust, pushing the nozzle and hose forward while simultaneously flushing dirt out of the pipe.

Thanks to the strong pressure of water, the layered deposits on the walls of the pipelines are destroyed and they are cleaned of particles of debris and household contaminants.

Advantages

Compared to mechanical or chemical sewer cleaning, the use of hydrodynamic machines offers a number of undoubted advantages.

• The work does not require much time.

Since contaminant particles are immediately washed out with water, the nozzle quickly passes through an area that prevents the free drainage of domestic wastewater. While when cleaning with a cable, you need to periodically remove the tool to remove dirt. In this case, sand, stones, and mortar residues may remain at the site of the blockage and impede the passage of the cable.

• Pipes are not damaged as much as by cables or chemicals.

The cable, from constant scrolling in pipelines, “fluffs up” into separate wires and can scratch the inner surface of the channel with them until it breaks, which will lead to liquid leaking into the room or trench where the pipe is laid. Even if the external integrity of the pipe is not compromised, scratches left by the cable from the inside will further contribute to the accelerated deposition of contaminants on the walls.

• When cleaning, no dust or dirt is formed.

Since the cleaning takes place inside the channel and particles of debris are not removed onto the floor in the room, it remains clean. All that remains is to wipe it clean from drops of water. But when cleaning with a cable, debris is taken out of the channel and removed from it onto the floor or into a bucket, creating dirt.

• The nozzle is capable of penetrating pipelines of any configuration.

The cable, due to its rigidity, cannot always bend according to the shape of the channel. And using a thinner cable will not allow you to break through the compacted area of ​​the blockage.

• The sewerage system is cleared of any blockages.

Regardless of the cause and degree of blockage, flushing with water under pressure cleans not only the cavity of the pipeline, but also its walls, which contributes to longer operation of the sewer without cleaning.

Safety precautions

If you are cleaning pipelines with a unit with an internal combustion engine, then it must be installed outdoors, and the high-pressure hose must be extended with an additional hose.

Important!

When cleaning drains, be sure to wear eye protection as pieces of sediment or splashes of water may fly out of the drain opening, as well as rubber gloves and a safety vest.To illuminate the workplace, you need to use a 12-volt lamp connected through a step-down transformer, or a battery-powered lamp.

After finishing work, be sure to rinse all hoses and nozzles so that any dirt that gets into them does not dry out, which can cause them to fail.

Cost of equipment

The price of a hydrodynamic pipe cleaning machine depends on the base on which it is mounted (car, trailer or trolley), as well as on the configuration, drive power, pump, water tank and electrical equipment.

For example, the price of auto components depends on the make of the car:

• ZIL – 500 thousand rubles. and more;
• Kamaz - 3,250 thousand rubles. and more;
• URACA – from 800 thousand rubles;
• Mueller-mitteltal – from 2,000 thousand rubles;
• Isuzu – 7,000 thousand rubles. and more.

The price of installations on minibuses and trailers depends on the manufacturer of the van, unit, drive power and pump:

• Lada Largus van – 890 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 1000 mm, hose length – 120 m);
• “UAZ Profi” – 1100 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 1000 mm, hose length – 120 m);
• Peugeot Partner – 1600 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 1000 mm, hose length – 90 m);
• GAZ-2705 “Poseidon Standard-2” – 1920 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 1000 mm, hose length – 120 m);
• Peugeot Boxer 330 L2H2 Poseidon Standard-2 – 2600 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 1000 mm, hose length – 120 m);
• trailer “Poseidon” – 500 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter – 700 mm, hose length – 90 m);
• trailer “Poseidon SUPER” – 1800 thousand rubles.

The cost of mobile installations starts from 54 thousand rubles:

• Poseidon VNA-110-12 – 53,600 rub. (F pipes: 25-150 mm, hose length - 40 m);
• RIDGID KJ-2200 – 185 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter: 32-150 mm, hose length – 61 m);
• CAM Spray EJ-CS1500A.2 – 220 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter: 20-150 mm, hose length – 30 m);
• Rioried MiniJet – 240 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter: 25-125 mm, hose length – 20 m);
• CAM Spray EJ-CS3500.5 – 475 thousand rubles. (Pipe diameter: 20-300 mm, hose length – 60 m).

Advice

Not everyone can afford to purchase their own drain cleaner for the sake of doing one or two jobs a year (as recommended), due to price or personal abilities, so it is worth considering all alternative solutions.

Alternative options

Now you can hire workers with a mobile or any other hydrodynamic machine who can clean the sewer relatively inexpensively. The cost of one meter of cleaning starts from 250 rubles, but the final amount depends on the complexity of the pipeline contamination, its size and length.
You can rent the unit. But in such cases there is often a very high deposit amount, which is often equal to the cost of the installation itself.

So, based on the above, you can now choose what and how to remove the sewer blockage. If your sewer pipes from the common sewer to the cesspool or manhole are clogged, then you will need a unit based on a car or trailer. If you need to clean the pipeline from the plumbing fixture to the collector, you will need a mobile unit to clear the blockage. You can rent the necessary device or, if funds allow, buy it to regularly clean the drainage system of your house or apartment.