Pipeline Testing Equipment

Air-Loc® Manhole Testers provide the most efficient, accurate, and cost effective method of testing new, existing, and rehabilitated manholes. Vacuum testing identifies infiltration and exfiltration problems. The Air-Loc manhole testing system allows you to test manholes within minutes. It provides immediate leak detection, before or after ring installation and backfilling, while also eliminating expensive/time-consuming water tests. Manhole testing is performed by creating a vacuum in the manhole and monitoring a gauge for vacuum loss. The head assemblies are made of lightweight aluminium, making them the lightest units available.


The Cherne vacuum pump draws 10" hg at a rate of 15 CFM and features an oil-free graphite vane pump
- no cumbersome lubrication system. Cherne’s pump also offers aluminium filter jars - will not
break like competitor’s glass jars. The vacuum pump draws 10" hg vacuum in approximately 2 minutes
for a 15' deep manhole.

The head assembly is available in both bladder and plate styles. The bladder style seals the inside
diameter of the manhole and is supported by a durable, aluminium brace. An aluminium pushpin rod
connection allows for easy depth adjustment. The plate style tester seals the surface of the manhole
frame or cone. It has a 1" neoprene gasket to ensure a leak-free seal. Sealing a wide range of manhole
diameters makes this a very versatile product.

Air-Loc Lopw Pressure Air-Testing System has been successfully used for pipeline testing for over thirty-five years. This method of testing pipelines has proven to be the fastest, most economicla and accurate method for testing pipe.

Historically, sewer pipe was tested using water thriugh either an infiltration or exfiltration test. In an infiltration test, groundwater entering into the pipe is monitored through the use of a weir. Conversly in an exfiltration test, water is introduced inhto the pipeline ant the water level is monitored over a specified period of time, usually twenty-four hours.

Water testing of pipelines for infiltration presents problems. For instance, a faulty segment of pip could pass the test due to no grondwater being present. Also it is difficult to use the metering equipment to measure water flow.
Water exfiltration tests also present certain problems. First, if groundwater is present, water will not escape from the pipe, resulting in inaccurate test results. Secondly, this method of testing pipe is very expensive and time consuming. In either case, once it is determined that there is a leak, there is no method of determining where the leak is.

As a result, Cherne Industries developed a method for testing leaks using air pressure which is has become the industry standard. Air-Loc Testing systems from Cherne are available in three different packages:

Smoke Testing
Smoke testing sewer systems was introduced in the early 1960’s as a method of identifying areas where extraneous water was entering sanitary sewer systems. Today, smoke testing is known to be a proven method of effectively identifying inflow (storm/ground water entry into sanitary sewer), connected roof and basement drains, yard drains, illegal taps, and storm sewer cross connections.
Reducing inflow and infiltration saves costs from treating groundwater at wastewater treatment plants.
The Environmental Protection Agency has instructed municipalities to eliminate inflow and infiltration into sewer
systems. Smoke testing sewer systems is an effective way to accomplish this goal.

Smoke testing is accomplished by isolating a section of sewer line and introducing smoke into the line
utilizing a smoke blower and smoke-generating device. (Important: Notify all local authorities and citizens
before conducting smoke tests! Cherne provides guidelines for properly preparing and announcing to the
community that a smoke test will be conducted.) Lines are first isolated using pipe plugs. Then smoke is
introduced into the sewer system. The test crew then checks buildings, roof vents, the street, and other
areas that potentially could be a source of extraneous water and records those locations for corrective
follow-up.