Des Moines County, Iowa needed to improve their processes for inspecting culverts. Some culverts were too small for a person to crawl through, so they had to use a camera attached to a cord to run into the pipes to check for issues and determine fix solutions. However, this same method was not suitable for the larger pipes as the camera would fall into the water.
Their solution was to purchase a remote-control car from a local store and attach a camera and flashlight to the car. “We were skeptical about how well we were going to see after running the camera through the pipe. Were we going to be able to see the bottom, top, and sides of the pipe or just the bottom and may miss some of the portion of the pipe? At the end, we were pleased how well it did work and what we were able to see,” says Devon Bell, the County’s Assistant Engineer.
The camera links to a mobile app allowing the County to see inside the pipe as they steered the car. Zip ties were used to keep the camera in place and duct tape was used for attaching the flashlight. Devon says the biggest challenge was figuring out a way to keep the camera attached to the car. Cost to implement the innovation was $510. “This solution saves taxpayer money because we get a true visual of the pipe’s condition, which helps us determine whether a pipe needs to be replaced instead of assuming a pipe needs to be replaced,” says Devon. “This has been an awesome tool for us to use in the field, we are seeing things that we have not been able to see at low cost.”
Devon’s advice for encouraging the use of innovative solutions, “if you don’t at least attempt something, you will never know if it will work out or not. If you do attempt something, at least you will know if it is right or wrong.”
For more information on this innovative solution, contact Devon Bell at 319-753-8241.
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