Seamless drainage connection thanks to mole technology

The installation of a 150m drainage pipe to connect holiday lodges to a pumping station included crossing a 10m wide road that linked two separate areas of the construction site. Excavating the road would have caused disruption to the build, unnecessary inconvenience and additional time and cost to the job. So, the company turned to specialist equipment supplier, PSS Hire (soon to be named Sunbelt Rentals) for a trenchless solution to minimise the need for digging. With the pipe being laid 2.5m deep at either side of the road PSS Hire recommended a 130mm GRUNDOMAT Mole with launch cradle, scope and ranging pole to complete the job. Two small opposite trenches either side of the road were excavated ready for the launch of the mole and using the scope and ranging pole, the operator was able to guide the mole accurately to the exit pit. The drainage pipe was then attached to the mole and pulled into the channel created from the first pass. Putting the mole into reverse enabled the drainage pipe to be pulled all the way back to where it started in the launch pit; leaving drainage pipe at each end ready for connection. The job took just 2.5 hours in total – way quicker than digging a trench, laying the pipe and reinstating the road and more cost-effective too.

During the installation, construction traffic was able to continue using the road ensuring continuity of the wider project with minimum disruption from the trenchless activity.
 
Brent Smith, MD of PSS Hire is a long term advocate of the mole technology: “The GRUNDOMAT is a tried and tested product and highly efficient. This job was the perfect illustration of how trenchless technology can often provide the most cost-effective solution for a pipe installation.”