KUB will smoke-test the sewers in the downtown area on Tuesday morning, June 25, weather permitting. “The smoke is not dangerous,” said Kendall Stiles, KUB’s manager of Customer Support, “but we want to let customers know what is going on so they will not be alarmed. KUB is also coordinating with the Knoxville Fire Department during the testing.”KUB recently determined that the sewer mains in this area contain a buildup of grease, and it is inspecting the mains to help prevent odors and overflows from grease buildup. The smoke testing will help identify defects in KUB’s mains or in customer-owned sewer laterals. (Property owners own the lateral, which is the pipe that connects their property to KUB’s sewer.)
The inspection crew will access pipes through manholes, so the work will not involve digging in streets. Crews should not need to enter homes or businesses, but they may need access to manholes on or near customers’ property. In the rare event that KUB needs to access customers’ plumbing, the utility will contact those customers to schedule appointments. Crews will distribute door hangers as a reminder before testing starts. KUB offers these tips to customers in the smoke-testing area:
Pour a pint of water in any seldom-used drains, like garage or basement sinks or floor drains,
to help keep smoke from entering your home or business.
It is normal to see smoke exit vent stacks, but if smoke comes out of your gutters, you may
have an improper connection. The smoke can also enter buildings through plumbing defects.
The smoke is non-toxic, is not a fire hazard, and will not harm children, pets, or plants. If the
smoke enters your building, however, it may set off your smoke alarm.
Call KUB Customer Support at 558-2330 to report the location of any smoke that enters your building. A contact person will be in the area with the testing crew and will meet you to discuss how to correct the problem. KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.