How to Maintain Equipment Hygiene After Sewer Inspections?

Equipment cleaning is vital for smooth operations, thereby ensuring safety, maintenance, and avoiding costly mistakes. This helps to win customers’ trust, along with increasing the longevity of plumbing equipment. 

The maintenance of equipment hygiene after a sewer inspection is needed because tools are exposed to grease, pathogens, and corrosive substances. Proper cleaning leads to the improvement of equipment performance and the prevention of germ spread. This blog evaluates how to maintain equipment hygiene after sewer inspections. 

Significance of Post-Inspection Equipment Hygiene 

Plumbers have to work in several dirty areas. This makes them exposed to different harmful substances. Let’s find out why hygiene maintenance is important after a plumbing inspection.

• Ensuring public health: If not cleaned properly, plumbing tools can carry pathogens from one site to another. Post-equipment hygiene maintenance prevents cross-contamination, thereby acknowledging public safety. 
• Plumber’s safety: The used equipment must be maintained properly after a sewer camera inspection. This prevents a professional from being exposed to mold and bacteria. This way, plumbers can prioritize their health. 
• Equipment maintenance: Plumbing tasks lead to the buildup of debris in the drain camera, which can damage its cables or sensors. Proper hygiene maintenance accounts for taking good care of the performance of the equipment. This also results in lowering frequent repairs, thereby extending equipment lifespan. 

Contamination Risks in Sewer Environments

Sewer inspection leads to a high level of contamination risks. This makes a sewer environment a toxic one that adversely affects the health of people. Here are the different types of contamination risks. 

• Physical contaminants: What does a plumber witness after a sewer video inspection? Well, different physical contaminants like roots, grease, sludge, etc. can be seen. These are harmful to health. Therefore, equipment maintenance after inspection is mandatory. 
• Chemical components: Sewer environments expose plumbers to industrial waste and different cleaning agents. Also, they might have to withstand any unknown compound. This results in different airborne and waterborne diseases. 
• Pathogens: Equipment hygiene is important in plumbing because plumbers can be exposed to several pathogens (E. coli, Salmonella, fungi, etc.). This makes sewer environments hazardous. 

How to Clean Plumbing Equipment? 

Hygiene is non-negotiable when it comes to plumbing because professionals are used to working in inappropriate environments. After using the sewer camera for inspection, the plumbing equipment must be cleaned properly. Let’s discuss the cleaning process. 

Pre-cleaning Preparation

Firstly, you need to select a proper cleaning area. There is no need to compromise with safety. Therefore, you need to wear the appropriate PPE (gloves, goggles, respirators, etc.). You need to disconnect power sources when you are cleaning any electronic tool. 

Removal of Physical Dirt and Debris

Often, plumbing tools contain dirt and debris that are visible to your eyes. You need to remove them immediately. Here, you can use soft brushes and microfiber clothes. If you opt for cleaning with water, be careful so that any electronic component is not damaged.

Cleaning by Equipment Type

After a sewer inspection, plumbers need to clean all used equipment. Well, the cleaning process is not the same for all tools. Here are suggested cleaning methods for different tools. 

Table 1: Recommended Cleaning Methods for Various Plumbing Tools

Along with knowing the usage of different plumbing tools, plumbers should also be aware of the cleaning procedures. This accounts for effective hygiene maintenance, thereby increasing the lifespan of a tool. 

How to Disinfect Plumbing Equipment?

A basic routine can make a plumbing tool clean, but it does not guarantee disinfection. Hence, plumbers need to disinfect their tools after using the sewer camera for inspection so that the remaining hazardous pathogens are killed. 

Well, choosing the right disinfectant is important for effective sterilization of plumbing tools. You need to use EPA-registered disinfectants so that the plumbing tools are properly disinfected. However, you must understand how to handle disinfectants safely. Let’s check out some common disinfectants and their best use cases.

Table 2: Common Disinfectants and Their Use Cases

How to Dry and Prevent Rust in Plumbing Tools?

Moisture leads to oxidation, short circuits, and corrosion, thereby affecting thermal properties and resulting in short-term disruptions and severe damage. This might lead to electronic failure in sewer inspection cameras. To combat it, you need to adopt proper drying practices (air drying racks, absorbent cloths, low-heat blowers, etc.).

Keeping plumbing tools exposed to air can result in rust formation, especially for metallic tools. To prevent this, plumbers can use lubricants and rust-prevention sprays. A sewer camera can result in a short circuit. Therefore, you need to dry connectors fully before use.

How to Store Cleaned Equipment Safely?

Hygiene maintenance in plumbing equipment does not end with cleaning. Storing the tool properly is also important. This makes them ready for the next sewer inspection. Let’s discuss some safe storage practices that ensure good hygiene maintenance. 

Climate-Controlled Storage

Climate-controlled storage is considered for plumbing tools because of the high chance of moisture buildup and equipment degradation when exposed to extreme temperatures and humidity. Plumbers need to prioritize the storage facilities where temperature and humidity can be managed. The recommended temperature range is 40°F and 80°F, and the humidity range is between 30% and 50%. 

Transportation of Clean Tools

After cleaning and disinfecting plumbing tools, plumbers must consider sealed cases and storage bins to keep them. Remember that any equipment should not come into contamination with work vehicles.

Labeling 

Choosing the right form of labeling for plumbing tools is important for hygiene maintenance as they can be stored safely. Like, you must use protective cases for camera systems. This makes plumbing equipment in a proper working condition for your next sewer camera inspection.

How Plumbers Can Maintain Hygiene After Sewer Inspections?

Along with maintaining equipment hygiene, plumbing professionals also need to prioritize their safety. Let’s find out some probable measures. 

• Wash your hands with mold soap after removing PPE 
• Dispose of PPE after every use 
• Wash your hands with alcohol-based sanitizers after cleaning plumbing tools
• Change uniform immediately if any contamination works

Choosing the Right Cleaning & Maintenance Supplies

Here are the common supplies that you must consider for the right cleaning and maintenance of plumbing tools.

• Industrial-grade cleaning brushes
• Non-corrosive disinfectants
• Storage cases for inspection cameras
• Lubricants and rust-inhibiting oils

To Conclude 

Post-inspection hygiene results in improving equipment maintenance, ensuring plumbers’ safety, and acknowledging public health. This also accounts for professional reliability. Along with executing a proper cleaning, you need to disinfect tools properly. Using lubricants and rust-prevention sprays helps in rust prevention.

Concerned About Hygiene Maintenance of Plumbing Tools? 

Relying on the correct procedures is important to maintain proper hygiene, along with keeping equipment in an optimal condition. However, it is also important to purchase high-quality tools, which is where we come to your aid! Our range of plumbing tools and equipment will enable the right sewer inspection. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to Avoid Contact With Clients After an Inspection?

You need to practice social distancing after completing a sewer camera inspection. Like, you must stay at least 6 feet away from the people in the house. This ensures public health safety.

2. How to Extend the Lifespan of Plumbing Equipment?

During cleaning, you need to inspect tools for wear and damage. Also, you need to prioritize lubrication of moving parts, checking seals and gaskets, and replacing worn cables. Plumbers need to consider firmware updates on digital sewer cameras.

3. What Are the Common Mistakes You Need to Avoid in Equipment Maintenance?

While cleaning any electronic component, don’t submerge it in water, as that will damage it. Some of the other mistakes that plumbers make are applying corrosive chemicals on metal equipment, storing tools before they are completely dry, and using dirty clothes to clean tools. 

4. How Often Should Plumbers Replace Sewer Inspection Equipment?

Following the right maintenance strategy expands the lifespan of plumbing tools, along with ensuring hygiene maintenance. Meanwhile, you need to replace a tool after a certain span, and the frequency is not the same for every tool. Like, a sewer camera is to be replaced every 7 to 10 years, whereas crawler systems can be replaced every 3 to 5 years.