A team from IN2s travelled over to Northern Ireland in September 2017 to carry out a field demonstration of pitch fibre sewerage rehabilitation using the In2 system on a live pipeline. From previous discussions with mainland water companies, who are already using the system successfully and extensively, as well as an informative presentation by IN2s on its use, there was already little doubt that the system has many benefits as a low-dig solution for the rehabilitation of pitch fibre pipelines. This was certainly proven during the demonstration and the professionalism of the IN2s team was clearly evident from the beginning. In the event, the demonstration did not turn out to be straightforward as problems were encountered with existing plastic collars on the pipeline. Far from marring the demonstration, this provided an excellent opportunity for the team to show how they deal with such problems in real life situations. The team’s experience and expertise then really shone through and the problems were methodically, efficiently and successfully overcome, thereby enhancing an already impressive exposition of the In2 technology. Having witnessed the system in use first-hand I would have no hesitation in using the In2 system for the rehabilitation of pitch fibre sewers.

The IN2S team demonstrated the excellent IN2 system on the replacement of a 46m section of 150mm pitch fibre foul sewer in Draperstown, Northern Ireland. The existing foul sewer was degrading and had reached the end of its design life. The team demonstrated the versatility of the IN2 system by constructing the launch pit at a mid-section point and installing the new pipe both upstream and downstream. Manholes at either ends were unsuitable for manual access, so the IN2 system proved both financially advantageous (existing manholes were left undamaged) and offered alternatives for the launch point (which other systems may not). The IN2S team were extremely knowledgeable, conscientious, clearly experts at this sort of trenchless technique and provided an excellent service. When presented with the issues of stubborn plastic collars, the team was able to adjust the installation method and install the remaining pipework without issue proving that the system is flexible and can work around real-life problems. The work was completed in 2 days which was much quicker than conventional open-cut methods. The new pipework has been running without issue since installation was completed in September 2017. I would highly recommend the IN2 system and the team.