Do you have any questions about how to use one of our Scanprobe drain camera systems? Take a look at our frequently asked questions below, and if after that your questions have not been answered feel free to contact our service team:

Question: How tight should the Maxprobe camera head connection be?

Answer: Once you have lined up the 'half-moon' connections on the camera head, you should hand-tighten the connector until it is no longer loose, but do not strain. Finish tightening the connection with the two spanners provided, turning no more than a little nip. Any more is likely to damage the camera connection.

Question: What can I do to stop the picture on my Maxprobe or TrapJumper control screen flickering?

Answer: Try disconnecting the connector from the control box and checking for damaged pins, or equally just a loose connection. When you reconnect the display connector, be careful to ensure you have it the correct way up, with your thumb on top inside the two distinctive grooves, and listen out for the "click". You can also check the connector on the camera frame for these same points. A final check would be to carefully disconnect the camera head from the push-rod and check this connection is not damaged. When you re-connect, remember to hand-tighten it, and then, using the special spanners in your accessories kit, give it a very slight tighten. Over-tightening this connector could damage the pins inside and require replacement.

Question: How do I transfer a survey report from the Maxprobe to an external USB device?

Answer: All you need to do is insert your USB storage device into one of the slots on the front of the control box, underneath the protective rubber flap. Then, on your control box press the File Manager button (on the left of the "Settings" button) and press the "OK" button when "Internal Memory" is selected. From here you will see all survey reports that are currently stored on the control box. If you were to press OK again on one of these filenames you would see the video(s) and photo(s) etc, but this is not required in order to transfer them to USB. Instead, whilst the report you require is highlighted, press and hold the "Ctrl" key and then the "C" button to copy the file. A dialogue box will appear, showing you all available storage devices (e.g. a USB stick) and will ask you to select the one to copy the report to. Select it and press the "OK" button to copy.

Question: I have finished my mina Survey but it is asking me for an "End Node" and "Pipe Serviceability", what does this mean?

Answer: Before you even begin your survey with mina, you are asked to fill in a couple of pages of information. On the second page you are asked where your survey is starting from and ideally finishing. For example:

Start Node: MH1
End Node: MH2

So this is asking you to confirm where you finished your survey, so that your diagram (automatically produced by the mina software) is accurate.

"Pipe Serviceability" refers to a numbered scale from 1-5, depending upon the quality of the pipework. If it was brand new and flawless, it is a "5", however if it is covered in cracks and intrusions, "1".

Question: There is too much glare in the pipe, I can't see what I'm looking at.

Answer: Pipe materials and conditions are rarely the same from job-to-job, and a heavy use pipe could result in more glare than a dry one. Remember to adjust the brightness of the lights to get the optimum image and recording quality.

Question: What can I do about the push-rod coiling up inside the pipe?

Answer: The push-rod could be coiling up for a number of reasons, including blockages, tight bends, or perhaps the wrong type of camera reel is being used. Possible solutions to the rod coiling up inside the pipe might be to:

• Jet the pipe to clear any removable blockages.
• Use a coiler with a more rigid push-rod, designed for longer pushes, or more flexible push-rod if the corners in the pipeline are causing a back-up of rod.

Question: How can I stop my push-rod from wearing through to the cable inside?

Answer: Owing to the nature of the job and the tough conditions faced by the camera and camera operator, it is near on impossible to stop the push-rod wearing through at some point. You can of course limit the rate at which it wears in certain areas, by following these tips:

• Use a spare piece of pipe as a "launcher" to open up the angle at which the push-rod enters the pipe, and reduce the wear from the top edge of the pipe.
• Feed the push-rod through a spare section of un-used liner, and feed this liner into the pipe opening, so that it is part in and part out. This is mostly effective in situations with course pipe openings or steep angles of entry.
• Upon finishing your survey and when retracting the reel back onto the coiler, run the rod through a damp cloth in your hand to dislodge any debris before it dries and sets.
• Similarly, make sure that the roller that feeds the rod out is also smooth and free of debris, otherwise this would provide a frequent coarse surface to wear at the rod.

Question: How should I store the camera system in the van?

Answer: There is generally a lot of equipment in the back of a drainage engineer's van, so making sure it is all secured will help to keep it from getting damaged in transit. What we recommend you do is:

• Use ratchet straps to secure it both to the floor and a wall of the van. Make sure that the straps go through the main body of the frame, and do not apply any direct pressure to the coiler drum or the keyboard rest, as this could mis-shapen them.
• Be sure to reel the rod in so that the camera will not bounce around in transit. Don't be tempted to tuck the camera inside the coiler drum however, as over time this would train the camera to bend one particular way, and impact your survey quality moving forward.
• Disconnect and remove the control box from the mounting ledge. Where possible, store this up front with you, and don't leave it in the van overnight.

Question: My mobile device doesn't show up in the WiFi list.

Answer: Make sure that you have turned on your Personal Hotspot and have an easily recognisable device name & simple password (no spaces or special characters) first and foremost. Whilst still on this screen on your mobile device, bring up the WiFi screen on your control box and let it refresh itself. Should your device not display, navigate away from the WiFi screen and back again to refresh it.

One thing to consider is that this connection relies upon the signal strength of your mobile carrier in that particular location.

Question: My mobile device is connected to WiFi but it isn't showing up on the control box

Answer: Unfortunately this is not how it works; it needs to be a dedicated connection between the control box and a mobile device. WiFi for data can support multiple connections, which is what you use in your home or office. Imagine Personal Hotspot being a Bluetooth speaker; you wouldn't let two devices connect to the same speaker at the same time, otherwise you would end up with two songs playing over each other.

Question: How do I know what size camera skid to use?

Answer: The camera skid is not only there to protect the camera head from bumps and scrapes, it is also there to centralise the camera head inside the pipe. If you don't get the camera at least somewhere near central, you might end up submerging the camera and obstructing your view, or just not being in a suitable position to effectively light up the inside of the pipe to see any potential cracks or other issues. Skids for the Maxprobe systems range from 4" up to 12", and then for the bigger jobs there is the option of a trolley mount. The TrapJumper has 3 options, 2", 2.5" & 3.2".

Question: How do you get the TrapJumper camera head around a toilet?

Answer: The TrapJumper has been designed specifically for these types of bends, and is able to navigate them due to the flexibility in the camera head and push-rod, whilst also keeping a good level of strength in the rod itself. Before you begin, we would always recommend placing a piece of inflation hose on the bottom of the toilet bowl so not to scratch it with the camera spring. When you go to insert the camera, you will need to guide it around the bend with your hand initially, but after that you just push it like a regular push-rod camera.

Question: Is it OK to perform a survey with my Scanprobe system out in the rain?

Answer: Absolutely, our Maxprobe and TrapJumper range of cameras are all IP54 rated, so you don't need to stop when the weather turns. All you need to do is:

• Make sure the rubber cover over the USB and audio ports is closed properly.
• The rubber bung is in place on the rear of the box (if the control box is not connected to external power).
• When you have finished your survey, be sure to dry the screen and keyboard before closing the control box, so to not trap any moisture inside.

Question: How many surveys can I store on the control box?

Answer: The control box has 32GB of storage available, so it really depends on the size of your surveys. A regular, single-run survey with photos could be anywhere around 300mb, so by this logic you could easily fit over 100 surveys on the control box. However, we would recommend that you back your surveys up to an external device on a regular basis and clear your surveys off the box.