City Of Brentwood: Smoke Testing In Neighborhoods

Press release from the City of Brentwood:

07/09/2021

Beginning the week of July 12 and forward, contract workers for the City of Brentwood’s Water Services Department will blow smoke into sewer lines to locate breaks and defects in the sewer system. Testing will begin for homes located near Scales Elementary and Holly Tree Gap.   Homeowners do not need to be home and the inspectors will not need to enter your house.  The smoke is not toxic and should not enter your home.  This process is endorsed by the Environmental Protection Agency and has been safely used for more than 20 years. The smoke is a mist containing a large percentage of atmospheric moisture that is highly visible at low concentrations. It will not harm your health or leave a stain and will disappear rapidly without leaving an odor.  The smoke is not a fire hazard, and will not harm children, pets, or plants.

The tests will be conducted by Barge Design Solutions, Inc. and Utility Technologies, consulting engineering firms hired by the City.  The inspectors will be wearing vests to help identify themselves in the area.  They will need to walk around the front and back of properties to look for signs of smoke coming from area drains.  Testing hours will be from 8:30am to 5pm Monday through Friday  This project will take approximately 3-4 weeks, weather permitting and will test approximately 55,000 linear feet of sanitary sewer pipe.

The City’s Water Services Department plans to test 60,000 linear feet on an annual basis over the next few years as part of the current Sewer Rehabilitation Program.   Brentwood Water Services Assistant Director Drew Muirhead said, “over the past few years, we have relied on visual or remote camera inspections to assess the conditions of our sewer pipelines.  Smoke testing is another tool we will use to identify defects, which allow groundwater and rainwater to enter the sewer piping system.”

During smoke testing, you may see smoke in or near your home. If you experience smoke in your home, you have something in your plumbing that needs attention.  Normally, it’s something simple like a dry plumbing trap or a bad wax ring on a toilet. Smoke in the home during this time could indicate that sewer gas could enter the home and needs to be addressed.  The City has mailed a letter to impacted customers in advance of the smoke testing to explain the process, and contractors will leave door hangers one or two days before testing on a street.

Residents should perform the following tasks to ensure smoke does not enter a home:

For more information, contact Drew Muirhead, Brentwood Water Services Assistant Director at (615) 371-0080, or drew.muirhead@brentwoodtn.gov

This press release was produced by the City of Brentwood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.