Service: Water Main Inspection

Do you have high risk water main pipelines?

Do you know the condition of your water main pipelines? Do you want to extend the life cycle of your existing pipelines? Do you want to save money by not having to needlessly replace pipelines that are in good condition?

PICA can help identify the condition of your pipelines using it’s patented, state of the art, Remote Field Technology (RFT) See Snake Tools. Join the growing list of owners and operators of water pipelines around the world who have used our service. To date PICA has inspected over 660,000′ (200 kms) of water mains.


Identify the problem to help save you money.

In a 2007 report released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an estimated 240,000 water main breaks occur every year in the United States. The number of breaks increase substantially near the end of the system’s service life. Large utility breaks in the Midwest increased from 250 per year to 2,200 per year during a 19-year period.

The US Geological Survey estimates that water lost from water distribution systems is 1.7 trillion gallons per year at a national cost of $2.6 billion per year.

Click on graphics to enlarge (gallons (l.h.s) and litres (r.h.s.))

This simple estimation model is based on a formula presented in the following publication: The Texas Water Development Board: “A Guidebook for Reducing Unaccounted-for Water”.


The See Snake Tool solution.

There is a demand in the market for improved probability of detection (P.O.D.) and exceptional accuracy for sizing of corrosion pits. Competing tools that use Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) require intimate contact with the pipe wall in order to achieve acceptable flaw sizing. Unfortunately many pipelines have internal deposits of scale and others are lined with cement mortar, epoxy or polyethylene, preventing the effective use of MFL tools. See Snake RFT technology, on the other hand, requires no contact with the pipe wall, and can measure through scale and non-magnetic liners. In fact, See Snake tools have a clearance of up to 2″ (50mm) to allow passage of the Tools past tubercles, dents and internal deposits.


The See Snake Tool advantage.

  • Non-contact NDT method.
  • Equally sensitive to internal and external flaws.
  • Complete coverage at fast inspection speeds.
  • Accurate results that identify both the severity and location of areas of wall thinning.
  • Novel mechanical design can accommodate ID variations as well as traverse sharp bends, elbows, Tees and fittings.
  • Tethered or free-swimming, fully autonomous Tools for pipeline lengths to 30 km (20 miles), in pressurized, in-service, pipelines.

Semi-automatic Analysis Software

See Snake data analysis is semi-automatic and a report is created as the analysis is being performed. Depending on the line condition, analysis and reporting can be done in the field, but is usually done starting the next day, off-site, to reduce labour costs.

The multi-channel See Snake Tools inspect 360° of the pipe circumference for the full length of the pipeline. The data is displayed as color maps, strip-chart logs and voltage planes. The screen capture below shows two pits at the bottom (6 o’clock position) of the pipe, 40% and 60% deep.

Tools are available for pipe sizes between 2″ (50mm) to 36″ (914mm)

Larger pipes can be inspected, but require the pipe to be empty.