Culvert Cleaning



In the wake of recent events, federal and local environmental regulatory agencies have identified the importance of properly maintained drainage structures. Historically, maintenance of drainage structures has not been a priority. Many culverts and drainage structures have never been cleaned resulting in damage to the structure, road beds, railroad track beds, ditches, personal property and in some instances injury to persons. Heretofore, there has neither been an efficient nor an effective method of culvert cleaning other than expensive processes such as open cutting roads and water jetting. The process used by ATU is both efficient and cost effective.

Benefits of the ATU Process:



The following benefits of this process:

  • Efficiency - An in depth comparison study was performed with ATU's process and a jetter truck. The study was performed on a culvert consisting of two (2) identical pipes with the same amount of silt inside each pipe.
    • The first pipe was cleaned with a jet truck. It was completed in 6.5 hours and used 1,200 gallons of water.
    • The second pipe was cleaned using the ATU process. It was completed in 40 minutes and used 110 gallons of water.
  • Reduced Water Usage - When using a jetting truck, thousands of gallons of water can potentially be used to effectively clean a culvert. ATU's method uses only a fraction of that amount of water. [Example, a 60' culvert with a diameter of 24" that is 100% full can be cleaned using between 100-250 gallons of water. By using ATU's method, the water usage and pressure are controlled by the drill operator. The water is pumped through the drill stem to the culvert cleaning attachments].
  • Versatile - Using a directional drill allows culverts of any size, shape and material to be cleaned effectively.
  • Containment of Debris - Using a directional drill gives the operator complete control of the debris within a culvert. With controlled thrust and pullback speeds, the operator manages the removal of the debris. This also allows the operator to manage the spoils as it is removed. Using a pull bucket or push bucket, material can be removed from either end of a culvert.
  • Structurally Safe - The culvert cleaning tools are built out of mild steel that will not damage the interior of the culvert. Using a directional drill, the operator controls the rotation of the tools. This is very important especially when a failure or void is encountered. In the event of a failure or void in the culvert, the operator has the ability to determine the exact location of the failure or void by backing the tool out of the culvert.

Tooling:



Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD)
HDD

Barrel Reamer - Designed to loosen and remove heavy material located in the culvert. Barrel Reamer

Push Bucket - Designed to push material out the far end of the culvert. It can also function as a scoop removing materials from the bucket.
Push Bucket

Pull Bucket - Designed to pull material back towards the operator. Pull Bucket

Brush - Designed to fine clean a culvert.
Cleaning Brush

Box Tool - Designed to Clean Box Structures. Wing attachments can be added to the bucket for various size boxes.
Box Tool