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We chatted with the Owner of Extreme Divers, Brad Rogers to discover how the company has found value in using DT340 Pipe Crawler for inspections.
Located in North Fort Myers, Florida, Extreme Divers is a successful commercial diving business. The company focuses on construction, repair, inspection and maintenance of a wide range of structures - such as catch basins, storm drains, and various types of tunnels and pipes. Extreme Divers concentrates on making these operations efficient and accurate for its clients. To continue to meet this goal in repair and inspection services, the owner Brad Rogers looked to find a pipe crawler.
When searching for a pipe crawler, Extreme Divers required a robot that they could depend on to perform a wide variety of jobs. As well, the business wanted the inspection tool to add extra value to their company. To fulfill this criteria, the crawler required these characteristics:
1. Able to complete reliable and convenient inspections
2. Able to optimize cost and time
3. Able to maintain diver safety in possibly dangerous scenarios
4. Needed to be versatile, long-lasting and of excellent quality
Pipe Crawlers can be used to perform routine inspections on various stormwater structures — including pipes, basins, manholes, drains, inflows and outflows. These assessments are important to detecting damages that are undermining structural integrity. The crawler can perform visual inspections to allow operators to see deteriorations such as build ups of sediment, clogged pipes, cracks and leaks. Detecting damages early is essential, as if left will continue to decrease system efficiency and can become very costly to fix.
The DT340 is a pipe crawler designed to allow for remote visual inspections. Its many innovative features matched the must-haves for Extreme Divers, thus it was added onto the team. The vehicle’s ability to work in different pipe diameters and materials meant it was versatile. Additionally, the pan, tilt and zoom camera allowed for divers to be monitored — increasing their safety. As well, its portability and ability to join with pipe inspection softwares meant convenient inspections. Ultimately, all the features of the DT340 allowed for more cost-effective and quick inspections.
Since Extreme Divers added the DT340 to their business, it has been utilized on various drain and pipe inspections — primarily stormwater system inspections, as well as on a 54,000 ft pipe system survey. Additionally, after deploying the vehicle, the company has noted several benefits:
- The DT340 allowed Extreme Divers to inspect various underwater structures, Rogers noted,
“One of the major things I like about the crawler is that you can put it under water, the older crawlers can’t always be submerged,” said Rogers. “This is incredibly important as we inspect a variety of pipes, including pipes that could be completely filled with water. With the DT340 we can complete these inspections efficiently and accurately.”
- The DT340 fell into the catch basin, where it was left underwater for a whole month as its rescue was challenging. Rogers noted that after the robot was retrieved, it resumed work again and functioned as it had never been sitting in the basin. As well, after being utilized on many inspections the crawler has needed little repairs.
- Rogers discovered a value-added asset to the DT340 — the vehicle has allowed Extreme Divers to improve communication with clients. Now, clients can view the inspection as it is happening and quickly authorize changes using video call from the crawler's handheld controller screen. Ultimately, saving the customer and company massive amounts of time. Also, Rogers explained the counter reel offers extra convenience as users can easily mark points of interest.
Ultimately, Rogers explains he is “super happy with the vehicle, there is nothing that I would change about it.” The vehicle’s dependability to perform accurate, convenient and effective inspections are just some of the reasons Extreme Divers choose The DT340 Pipe Crawler.
In early 2022, Deep Trekker announced a new sub-brand ‘Pipe Trekker’ alongside a new flagship pipe crawler product: the A-200. As the successor to the DT340, the A-200 offers a variety of upgrades, including a full HD 1080p digital camera, BRIDGE handheld or rugged tablet controller, powered reel, automatic elevating arm, rear camera, and hybrid power options.
Every A-200 from Pipe Trekker comes standard with a 1080p pan/tilt/zoom camera with improved image stabilization, clarity, 360 degree pan, and 270 degree tilt capabilities. The zoom can extend up to 10x optically, and 120x digitally for a clearer visual beyond the reasonable piloting point.
Since the DT340 relied on a 720p analog camera, video recordings were done via an integrated DVR system. With the latest BRIDGE controller, pilots not only get a more intuitive and vibrant control system, but they are able to conveniently record inspections to USBs, SD cards, or export to larger displays via micro HDMI. A tablet controller is also available as an upgrade, which includes a larger 10.1” screen and internal reporting software for standardized reporting. Both systems are fully integratable with NASSCO certified reporting softwares as well.
Utilizing the powered reel, pilots no longer have to manually crank in hundreds or thousands of feet of tether. Instead, they can activate automatic retrieval, which combines with autopilot on the A-200 to drive itself backwards and reel in all the deployed tether. Additionally, topside power can be sent through the powered reel for endless operation in lieu of the on board batteries.
We sincerely thank Brad Rogers and the Extreme Divers team for lending their time and effort to help create this study. To learn more about Extreme Divers please visit their website.
Like always, our team is ready to answer your questions regarding utilizing a pipe crawler for your next inspection, contact us today!