From medieval collection systems to 19th century pipeline infrastructure, removing accumulated debris in pipelines was like slowly tunneling through a swamp. Many of the early hope-filled methods, such as the dumping of large volumes of water while releasing bundles of little wooden balls, proved useless as debris levels rose. Fortunately, as our experiences grew, technology developed and the early 20th century brought us the first engine-driven mechanical cleaners. These units, albeit crude, slowly removed heavy debris in incremental stages via buckets. Thus was the re-emergence of what we now call step cleaning.
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