Drain rehabilitation key to school refurbishment completion

Drainage engineers from Lanes Group plc have rehabilitated the drainage system at a primary school as part of a major refurbishment programme.

The Lanes Bristol depot was commissioned to install 33 local structural repairs (LSRs), known as patch drain liners, and five full liners in foul and surface water drains at Brentry Primary School in North Bristol.

The drainage rehabilitation programme has been carried out on behalf of construction company Bray and Slaughter which is completing a £2.7million design and build refurbishment of the school.

Matt Banks, Area Development Manager for the Lanes Bristol depot, said: “We were very pleased to support a project that’s going to make such a huge and positive different to the local community.

“Rehabilitating drains during a school refurbishment programme like this is always one of the last tasks, as above-ground construction work can have an impact on the drainage system.

“Lined drain sections are left in an as-new condition. If the appropriate planned preventative maintenance (PPM) programme is in place, these sections will have a design life of at least 50 years.”

The Lanes team planned the eight-day lining operation based on a CCTV drainage survey carried out by a different contractor.

Faults identified in 100mm and 150mm diameter pipes at the 210-pupil school included cracks, partial drain collapses and displaced joints.

Patch liners with lengths of 0.5m and 1.0m were made up from fibre glass matting impregnated with resin. One was a specialist 1.0m-long radial liner designed to fit smoothly inside a bend in a 100mm-diameter pipe.

The patch liners were installed in the pipes wrapped around a rubber packer which was then inflated with compressed air before being left to harden, or cure, at ambient air temperature.

The cured in place pipe (CIPP) liners were taken to site pre-cut to length and impregnated with resin. They were then installed, inflated and cured in a similar way to the patch liners in a process known as ambient CIPP.

A post-installation Lanes CCTV drainage survey report showed where the liners were installed and confirmed the repairs were of a high quality.

Matt Banks said: “It is vital to consider the condition and capacity of drainage systems during school refurbishment projects because they are often linked with expansion plans that place greater pressure on wastewater systems.

“Also, flooding and loss of facilities like kitchens caused by drainage failures are among the most common causes of temporary school closures, so it is vital to have PPM programmes in place.

“Lanes drainage teams are especially busy over school holiday periods across the UK, supporting schools that want their drains surveyed, cleaned, repaired and modified while pupils are away.

“We have the comprehensive range of services and capacity needed to plan and complete these school drainage maintenance projects efficiently and effectively in the shortest possible time.”

Lanes Group: www.lanesfordrains.co.uk