Smoke Testing 101: It’s  Not a Pipe Dream!

In this episode, Eva Schwendimann from the SW EFC discusses the basics of sewer smoke testing in sanitary sewer systems with Mike Rivera. Mike is a Water and Wastewater Utility Specialist at the SW EFC and has a background of working with Water and Wastewater in New Mexico systems for over 20 years. This episode walks listeners through why and how a smoke test is conducted, the equipment needed, best case weather conditions for testing, and how to collect and manage data from a smoke test. Episode Chapters: Podcast Intro - 0:00:00 Mike’s experience with smoke testing - 0:01:22 Summary of smoke test procedure - 0:04:25 What can a smoke test detect? - 0:05:02 What is Infiltration and Inflow? - 0:05:22 Equipment needed - 0:08:32 Step by step procedure - 0:09:38 How effective is smoke testing?- 0:12:18 Best weather conditions - 0:13:14 How to collect and manage data - 0:14:08 Podcast Outro - 0:18:57 Links to additional resources: NPDES: Stormwater Best Management Practice, Preventing Stormwater Contamination from Sanitary Sewage Sewer Smoke Testing | Fulcrum EFCN Blog | The Impacts of Changing Precipitation Patterns on Wastewater and Stormwater Systems