Smoke Testing On Mendham Sewer Lines Will Identify Faults

MENDHAM, NJ — Crews will use air and smoke to inspect the Mendham Township sanitary sewer system for leaks beginning on Tuesday, June 20.

Mendham Township has hired Veolia Water to conduct sanitary sewer smoke testing. These tests will aid in identifying damaged sewer pipes and illegal sewer connections.

Testing will take place on the Sewer East and Sewer West systems, officials said.

The smoke is a special, non-toxic material that will not harm your health or damage your property, according to officials. Smoke testing is a technique used to identify sewer sections that may have inflow during heavy rainfall.

Smoke testing can detect inflow sources such as roof downspouts, driveways, yard and drain areas, foundation drains, illegal connections and stormwater drainage system cross-connections.

It is also capable of detecting structural damage and leaking joints.

Testing will occur a few hours out of the day and over the span of several days, township officials said.

If your building is in good condition, you will notice no smoke except from certain roof vents, which is normal.

Smoke found inside buildings indicates a potential sewer line problem, so if any smoke enters your building, note its source and alert the testing crew.

Smoke in your house could be indicating that:

• The vents connected to your home’s sewer pipes are inadequate, defective, or improperly
• installed.
• The traps and seals under sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and all other drains are dry, defective, or improperly installed.

• The pipes, connections, or seals in the wastewater drainage system or under your home are damaged, defective, are missing plugs, or are improperly installed.