R&D carries out much of the water supply pipe renewal we do by moling under the surface (see video on ‘Moling’ under the Our Services tab on the website). We have invested in the last few months in new moles and new compressors and the beauty of our new compressors is that they are portable – certainly more portable than the big old beasts that have lived on our vans for the last 10-12 years. We’ve never had a problem with the old compressors , bless ‘em, but it took a good few of us to lift them in and out of the vans when necessary, so they tended to lurk in the back of the van and chunter away, making it difficult sometimes for our engineers to get close to the job. The new compressors are smaller and can be lifted off the van and wheeled for a reasonable distance, enabling us to mole more easily in places that the van can’t get to, which in Devon and Cornwall is quite a consideration. This means that we can carry out our work more easily, more quickly and with fewer hoses trailing across working areas, gardens, footways etc.
Water Engineers