Investigative time is directly related to the physical accessibility and location of the pipe, building size, external conditions, material, insulation, high operating temperatures above 200 °F,  specific security or safety delays and whether testing is localized to one area of the property or spread throughout multiple areas or properties.  Investigating a dry fire room having 4 zone valves would require far less time than a single high pressure steam line traveling within an underground steam tunnel system across multiple campus properties.  Centralized HVAC systems generally require less investigation than packaged heat pump units having varying conditions and different piping sizes and layouts.  Galvanized steel pipe, due to the very random nature of its deterioration, often requires additional scanning to identify its characteristic random localized deep pitting.

Generally, we can address approximately 40-50 individual examples of pipe within a full day of field testing, and often more.  Where the pipe is localized to one area such as a parking garage fire system, inspection of 80 or more examples of pipe is often possible within a single day.  It requires approximately 8-10 minutes to perform UT measurement, photograph the pipe, and enter all data relating to its location and function into a laptop for each section of pipe.  Multiple pipe sections within one local area will require less time each.  Alternately, searching through an unknown building for a chill water line running behind locked doors with no site assistance can grind an investigation to a dead stop.

Assistance from the building engineering staff, by removing and replacing insulation, providing ladders, assist navigation around the facility, identifying the location of piping systems, etc., is always helpful in moving along our progress, and is often the limiting factor to a successful investigation.  The more quickly we can move throughout a facility and perform our intended function, the greater benefit to the client in gaining additional information and producing a more informative report.  In cases where the building staff leaves for a smoke or bathroom break and disappears the rest of the day, far less is typically accomplished.  Any of the below issues will typically reduce our progress resulting in either lesser work completed per day, or the need for additional time on-site.

• • • Steam and high temperature piping
    • Heavily corroded surfaces
    • Cast iron & ductile iron pipe
    • Data centers
    • Insulated pipe
    • Excessive safety measures
    • Pipe requiring ladder and lift access
    • Excessive training requirements
    • Security restrictions
    • Residential access
    • Manhole / confined space