Force Mains

It’s important to have your force main frequently checked and confirmed to be in good condition. Let us make sure your force main stays in top condition. You need to make sure that you have your force main system inspected alongside the rest of your sewer system to prevent future headaches.

Most of the drain and sewer piping in homes and commercial buildings is gravity fed. This is because it’s less energy-intensive to just let wastewater flow naturally down and out of the building, and most of the time it works pretty well. Those times that it doesn’t, though, one or two additional measures may need to be taken.

If your home or building uses a force main, and it malfunctions, you could be in for a whole lot of costly and frustrating sewer problems. That’s why you should have your force main consistently checked by a professional, to make sure that it’s holding up alright.

Force mains are used in areas where the sewer main (or septic tank) is at a higher elevation than the rest of the sewer system. As wastewater enters the force main, it is propelled uphill until it reaches a point where gravity can do the work again. If the force main isn’t working, the wastewater will accumulate at the point where it can no longer flow downhill. The added pressure from the wastewater buildup can cause leaks and ruptures in the pipe. It will cause backups further down the system, and possibly all the way up into the house, if it isn’t dealt with quickly enough. So, if you have a force main in your system do not neglect it.

Force main inspection can proceed a couple of different ways. We use SmartBall technology, which can detect trapped gas or leaks in a pressurized pipe by using listening equipment. This small ball can pinpoint the exact location of an issue in the force main, and can even record data so that the operator can make a more informed decision about repairs. Once enough data is accumulated, the ball can be extracted fairly easily.