Tele-Vac Technicians Use POSM Templates

TelTele-Vac Staff Peter Kellum and Mary Barron at Worke-Vac Environmental is a leading pipeline maintenance company operating in the Midwest; its engineers specialize in television inspection, hydro-jet cleaning, hydro-excavating, CIP Pipe Patch for repairing sewer pipes, sewer testing and grouting. It services some of the largest and oldest pipeline systems in America. Tele-Vac was founded in 1991 in Mason, OH (20 miles north of Cincinnati).

Under the leadership of President Larry McCauley and Vice President Joe McCauley, Tele-Vac recently opened three satellite offices in Columbus, OH, Birmingham, AL, and Pompano Beach, FL. Tele-Vac works closely with NASSCO to help develop technical standards for the industry, including guidelines for identifying and repairing crossbores.

POSM works closely with Tele-Vac to “help us create a unique template for each company."

Sewer Pipe with Gas Crossbore Illustration

Co-project managers Mary Barron and Peter Kellum (pictured above) work closely together to oversee projects from the Mason (Home) Office. Together they have nearly 60 years experience in the industry and 23 years with the company. Their teams of engineers operate IBAK, Rausch and RS Technical/Subsite inspection equipment, which all run POSM Software for their inspections. Tele-Vac maintains over 20 active POSM operating licenses.

Specializing in pipeline maintenance inspections and repairs on existing pipeline, Tele-Vac’s clients include service municipalities and private businesses such as energy companies. Peter says POSM works closely with Tele-Vac to “help us create a unique template for each company. Every client wants to see something different, and POSM helped us to meet that demand.”

“Session management makes our job as project managers much easier. We can review an inspection, query for certain items, and build a list of factors to reference."

Tele-Vac collaborates with NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) on white papers to detail preferred standards and technical guidelines for the industry. The latest POSM update (POSM X) features NASSCO V7 template compatibility and is a welcome upgrade for Tele-Vac engineers.

Tele-Vac Inspection Vehicle with StaffAmong the most important topics in the industry is addressing how to safely diagnose and repair crossbores. A crossbore refers to an existing utility pipe that accidentally intersects with a second pipe and results in direct contact and compromised integrity of the pipeline. When one of those compromised utility pipes is a gas line, the result is potentially quite dangerous and requires handling by specialists such as Tele-Vac.

Peter called Crossbore investigations a key specialized service Tele-vac offers that positions them as a vital resource to their clients. He creditsPOSM’s unique crossbore diagnostic tool as an invaluable asset to map and diagnose a crossbore intersection with precision. POSM’s crossbore tool helps Tele-Vac to strategize the safest plan for a repair in a potentially delicate situation.

"With POSM, I had total control over the video. I can fast forward to the important points, which saves a lot of time.”

Tele-Vac CCTV Operator Performing InspectionTele-Vac switched to POSM in 2011. Peter called out a favorite feature from the change: “Session management makes our job as project managers much easier. We can review an inspection, query for certain items, and build a list of factors to reference. I can go straight to a certain pipe segment or a piece of data. It’s super easy, even if I have thousands of inspections to search through, I can bring it up immediately without feeling like I’m fighting the program. From here, we can develop a spreadsheet to present to clients, which is also useful for billing.”

Mary Barron recalled a major improvement over previous software she’d used. “Video playback. Originally, if I tried to change the speed, pause, fast forward, anything of that sort, the video would freeze and lock up my computer, then I’d have to reboot and start over again. After a while, I’d just let it play. I didn’t want to mess with it because it would take 10-15 minutes to get back to where I was at. With POSM, I had total control over the video. I can fast forward to the important points, which saves a lot of time.”

Tele-Vac

Tele-Vac Environmental employs teams of highly trained maintenance technicians that rely on POSM Software every day. They utilize an array of functions across three major platforms. If you’re looking for this level of reliability with your own inspection software, click here to try POSM Software FREE for 60 days by contacting our technical support today.