City Utilities using smoke to find sewer leaks in northwest Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne’s sewer maintenance department will be smoke testing sewer lines in the Watersong and Chapel Creek neighborhoods beginning Monday, June 28, weather permitting. Testing the entire area is expected to take about a week.
Smoke testing will be done in the area generally bounded by Union Chapel Road, Auburn Road, Falling Water Boulevard, Brandon Way, Crooked Creek Parkway and Chancel Way.
Sanitary sewers in the area to be examined become overloaded when it rains, indicating that rain water and ground water are entering lines intended to carry sanitary sewage only.
To find the areas that leak, sewer utility workers will systematically blow smoke into manholes. The smoke will come out of the sewer system in places where the sewer may be cracked, have a bad joint or have some other deficiency that causes a leak. Smoke may be seen coming out of manholes or out of the ground.
The smoke is chemically generated but is non-toxic, non-staining, has no odor and creates no fire hazard. It will be white or gray in color.
Smoke may be seen coming from building gutters and downspouts if they are directly connected to sanitary sewer lines. Smoke coming from plumbing vents on roofs is not unusual. The smoke should not enter any homes or businesses. Smoke coming into a building may indicate that a drain trap – the J-shaped piece of pipe – is dry or that there is a plumbing defect. City Utilities suggests that property owners make sure all drain traps have water in them. Seldom-used floor drains are the most likely place that smoke will enter a building, so City Utilities recommends property owners pour a gallon of water into each floor drain.
If smoke does enter a structure, the occupants should exit the building and look for City Utilities crews who will be nearby conducting the testing. Also, if residents return home and find smoke in the structure, they should call 311 or 427-8311 so that City Utilities can investigate the problem.
Prior to the testing, City Utilities will deliver door hangers and letters to residents and businesses in the area where the testing will be done. Questions may be directed to City Utilities Sewer Maintenance through the 311 call center open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.