Remote Access for Difficult-to-Inspect Water Assets
Industrial and treatment facilities often contain tanks, pits, channels, intake structures and submerged components that are difficult or disruptive to access using conventional methods.
A method built around the process, not the other way round
Valmar can assess whether ROV inspection or robotic cleaning is suitable and develop a method around the process environment, access limitations and operational requirements. Some industrial assets suit a remote inspection with the plant running; some need a planned outage; some are best inspected remotely first so a later entry or repair can be scoped properly. The inspection is what tells us which.
Potential applications
- Process water tanks
- Raw water storage
- Settling and treatment tanks
- Industrial storage tanks
- Intake screens and trash racks
- Penstocks and submerged pipework
- Selected pipes, tunnels and channels where access and dimensions are suitable
- Treatment plant submerged structures
Potential findings
- Sediment or debris accumulation
- Blockages and obstructions
- Visible cracking or surface deterioration
- Coating or lining condition concerns
- Damage to accessible components
- Fouling and buildup
- General visible condition
Cleaning where it is suitable
Where an inspection finds sediment, settled solids or debris that need removing, the same two robotic systems used on water and wastewater assets can often be deployed: VAC Boss for controlled removal of settled sediment from a floor, and Sludge Boss for heavier sludge and solids where a tracked vacuum crawler and a pumped discharge route are the practical answer. Where neither suits the asset, we say so and recommend the conventional method instead. See the technology.
Safety - reducing exposure to confined and submerged environments
Remote technology can reduce the need for personnel to enter tanks, reservoirs and other potentially hazardous submerged environments. It can also provide visibility of internal conditions before any conventional entry is planned. That means reduced confined-space exposure where remote access is suitable, reduced submerged personnel exposure, less reliance on specialist entry methods for suitable inspections and cleaning, better pre-entry understanding of internal conditions, and better planning of access, isolation and maintenance work.
Remote technology does not eliminate site hazards. Each project requires suitable site safety, isolation, contamination, water-quality, electrical, lifting, access and operational controls.
Ring 027 313 0280 or send us an enquiry and describe the asset. If it is unusual, that is usually the reason it has not been looked at, and it is worth a conversation.
An access ladder inside a lined tank, seen from the ROV underwater with daylight coming through the hatch above.
Industrial Water Questions
Do you only use ROV methods?
No. We can recommend remote inspection, robotic cleaning, conventional drain-down cleaning or a hybrid approach depending on the asset and required outcome.
Can you work inside a pipe, tunnel or channel?
In selected cases, where the access and dimensions suit the equipment. Tell us the diameter or section, the length, the access points and what is flowing through it, and we will say whether it is practical.
What is the best first step?
Start with an inspection. It gives both parties a clearer picture of the asset, sediment or sludge conditions and the most practical maintenance method.
Other Services
Remote inspection and cleaning for drinking water, wastewater, fire water and industrial water assets across New Zealand. Every job starts with an inspection, so the method is chosen from what is actually inside the asset.
Drinking Water - VAC Boss
Potable-water ROV inspection and robotic sediment removal, with asset-specific hygiene, disinfection and water-quality controls. Read more
Wastewater - Sludge Boss
Remote inspection and sludge removal for wastewater tanks, ponds, lagoons, wet wells and treatment assets. Read more
Fire Water Tanks
Condition inspection, sediment assessment and cleaning options that support fire-water system maintenance and asset records. Read more
ROV Inspection & Condition Assessment
High-definition video, photographic records and observations of submerged components, sediment and visible defects. Read moreNeed to know what is happening inside your tank or reservoir?
Start with an inspection. We can help establish the condition of the asset and recommend a practical next step based on what is actually found. Tell us what the asset is, roughly where it is and what you need to know, and we will come back to you.
027 313 0280- [email protected]
- Based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty - working across New Zealand
- Drinking water, wastewater, fire water and industrial water assets
Helpful to have on hand: the asset type and approximate size, depth, access arrangement, floor or liner type, and whether it can stay in service. If you do not know yet, that is fine - the inspection is how we find out.