In the autumn of 2017, Drain Alert made a significant investment in a new Mercedes Sprinter survey vehicle — purpose-built to be both more operationally capable and substantially more environmentally responsible than the vehicle it replaced.
Replacing an Ageing, High-Emission Vehicle
The previous CCTV survey vehicle was a 2005 Mercedes Sprinter 413 CDI — a 4.5-tonne, 6.5-metre van powered by a large six-cylinder diesel engine producing approximately 275g of CO2 per kilometre. All on-site CCTV equipment and tools were powered by a marine diesel generator, meaning that whether travelling to site or actively working, at least one engine was running at all times — sometimes for up to ten hours in a single day.
The New Vehicle: Euro 6, Battery Operation, and a Smaller Footprint
The replacement vehicle is fitted with a Mercedes Euro 6 diesel engine, reducing CO2 output to 218g per kilometre — clean enough to enter the central London emissions zone. The vehicle is also significantly more compact: at 3.36 metres in length and 3.5 tonnes, it is shorter and lighter than its predecessor, making it easier to manoeuvre on constrained commercial and industrial sites.
In place of the diesel generator, a battery inverter unit has been installed — charged either by the vehicle’s engine or from a mains supply. This provides over eight hours of completely silent, emission-free operation on site. The ability to work without engine noise is a meaningful benefit on live commercial sites, where minimising disturbance to adjacent operations is important.
Operational Efficiency Gains
The new vehicle has also delivered measurable improvements in survey efficiency. At Westinghouse Salwick, for example, a survey programme that took five days in 2017 was completed in three in 2018. Off-site trade drain surveys that previously took ten days were completed in eight. These time savings were passed back to the client as a 10% cost reduction.
For longer-duration projects, the new vehicle also enables our tanker jetting unit to remain on site overnight while all four staff members travel together in the survey van — significantly reducing fuel consumption and road miles from our 26-tonne tanker, which operates at approximately nine miles per gallon.
Paperless Reporting
The new vehicle is equipped with the latest Wincan VX survey software, enabling our engineers to produce live, structured survey reports as the inspection proceeds. Reports are uploaded directly to a secure cloud platform and shared with clients via email link — eliminating paper reports, compact disc delivery, and the associated postage costs.
Our investment in cleaner vehicles, more efficient operations, and paperless reporting is part of our ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our work, without compromising on the quality and reliability our clients expect.
