Deltona conducts smoke testing of sanitary sewer lines; crews find ill-fitting manhole cover and missing clean-out cap

The City of Deltona is conducting smoke testing of its sanitary sewer system to find defects and connections that allow surface water to enter wastewater lines, Deputy Utility Director Jim Parrish said.

“What we’re doing is we’re wanting to introduce a non toxic, harmless, residual less, smoke into our sanitary sewer system so that we can test to see if there’s any sort of infiltration that’s coming in from the surface down into our sanitary sewer system,” Parrish said.

Parrish described the method: crews introduce a liquid into a smoke blower that produces a nonhazardous smoke, fill the gravity lines and laterals, and walk both sides of the street looking for smoke “coming out of the ground, out of the sidewalk” or other places where the ground or structures allow water intrusion. He said visible smoke from a roof vent indicates a closed system and normal flow; smoke at other locations indicates defects.

During testing crews found an ill-fitting manhole cover that could allow water intrusion and a missing or unglued clean-out cap that was releasing large amounts of smoke. “In this instance here, it simply needs a new cap glued onto it, and that'll take care of the entire issue,” Parrish said.

Parrish said the smoke is non-toxic, leaves no residue and that residents who see smoke entering a home can run a faucet briefly to refill a trap and stop the smoke. He urged residents with persistent issues to contact a plumber to check internal plumbing.