Problem: The historical Lake County Courthouse in Painesville, Ohio, contacted a Flow-Liner certified installer after discovering issues in two different drains. Both drains were in need of cured-in-place-pipe lining: One was lined vertically, from the basement to the rooftop, approximately 50 feet in length, and the other from an inside clean-out to approximately 35 feet downstream.
Solution: The Flow-Liner installer utilized two inversion drums, the small Flow-40 and the next size up, the Flow-120. Both pipes were successfully lined, sealing all leaks and cracks along the way and without disruption of the courthouse operations.
Result: “The crew leader was extremely knowledgeable and explained the process of lining the roof drain in our historical building,” says Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Mark Lafelice. “The entire team listened to my concerns and catered to our needs. They were professional and courteous to all of our staff. The entire process was seamless. The departments we worked in were able to continue to operate without interruption. Overall, the entire experience was amazing. We, as an organization, will look at this process as an option moving forward if any other difficult situation that arises.” 800-348-0020; www.flow-liner.com
Rehabilitating clean-outs and floor drains in a cold winter climate
Problem: In March 2022, a new airport terminal, built in Salluit, Quebec a year before, was showing some deficiencies under the basement slab. Nine clean-outs and floor drains had shifted in the vertical area between the floor and the sweep. Because of the permafrost and the thickness of the slab, the engineers and the contractor were looking for a non-invasive way to solve the problem and prevent it from getting worse. Salluit is only accessible by air at that time of year. The team had to travel light to get everything on the Pilatus PC-12 and because pretty much every village in northern Quebec is isolated, yet the crew needed to bring as much extra material as possible in case anything went wrong. With the windchill, Salluit can be as cold as -60 degrees F in March and the community sits on permafrost. An active curing method was essential.
Solution: FORMADRAIN was mandated. Experts had only three days to perform the job. Some of the equipment was on board with the crew at takeoff. That cargo had to switch planes without warning when the first attempt at landing was aborted due to high winds. Fortunately, the crew finally made it after 11 hours of traveling.
Result: A total of nine liners were successfully installed in 2 1/2 days. 888-337-6764; www.formadrain.com
Pipe hanger with locking system prevents pipe movement failure
Problem: A Chicago resident had an underground pipe failure with the downspout and waste pipe connecting to the sewer. The pipe had moved and collapsed, causing flooding at the resident’s property and into the adjoining neighbor’s property. The failure occurred because the original pipe had not been properly secured when initially installed. The old pipe was simply placed on the soil without any support to prevent movement overtime.
Solution: At Water Plumbing Co. dug a trench and removed the old broken pipe. A new 4-inch PVC pipe was installed and secured using the PL-1111-V40 Large Pipe Hanger with Locking System from HAP System. The plumber drilled holes and set anchors with 3/8-inch threaded rod to the concrete wall. The hanger was bolted to the threaded rods making a solid connection with the wall. The new PVC pipe was snapped into place and securely held using the V40’s Lockable Rod Assembly for added security and load capacity.
Result: HAP System pipe hangers provided AT Water Plumbing the perfect solution to hold and protect the customer’s pipes and prevent future plumbing problems. HAP Hangers save plumbing companies time and money with their one simple system. Made from powder-coated steel for durability, they can be used in indoor/outdoor applications and are compatible with any pipe materials. 847-787-7777; www.hapsystem.com
Pipe puller used to replace galvanized water services
Problem: Spiniello Cos. was awarded a project by Trenton Water to remove a large number of old galvanized services in Trenton, New Jersey. All pipes removed were 3/4- or 1-inch galvanized steel and they were replaced with 3/4- or 1-inch copper. The typical lengths of the services were between 15 and 30 feet only between the main and curb stop. Driveways, soil and substrate varied from moist to dry, hard and compacted clay at depths of 4 to 6 feet.
Solution: Over ten services were replaced during the two-day training on site and large excavations were avoided and surface damage was kept to a minimum with holes averaging 3 by 4 feet at main and 3 by 2 feet at the curb stop. The road remained closed due to the heavy machinery deployed and the fact that few crews worked simultaneously on various services at any given time. Using the Kobus Pipe Puller, over 10 services were replaced. This innovation consisted of the extraction of one service but towed two services simultaneously, halving the amount of time from what is a quick method already. Since there is no mandate to remove old pipes from the ground by Trenton Water, this seemed a good way forward to increase productivity.
Result: Over the training period, they experienced no setbacks, cable failure nor Pipe Puller issues. No strikes with neighboring utilities were recorded either. Spiniello has been continuing the pipe pulling since training was completed to good results, and productivity is already on the up to ensure timely completion of the targets set by Trenton Water. 269-216-3916; www.kobus-inc.com
Flexible gas piping used under parking garage
Problem: The Vine is a 283-unit luxury apartment project community that was built in Howard County, Maryland. By incorporating a five-level parking structure into the building design, all 504 resident parking spaces can be accommodated in a structure that consumes 80% less impervious land area, which offers a huge benefit environmentally to the project and overall community. The location of the meter room made it necessary to run under the slab of the parking garage.
Solution: Omegaflex TracPipe PS-II Underground CSST was chosen because it could be ordered in 1,200-foot reels, eliminating waste and the need for couplings. Seventy-two of the long runs were installed in only four days, which was significantly faster than if rigid pipe had been chosen for the job. The aboveground portion of the Vine job entailed over 90,000 feet of CounterStrike CSST using 3/4- and 1/2-inch pipe.
Result: Omegaflex’s ability to deliver 3,500-foot 1/2-inch reels as well as 2,000-foot 3/4-inch reels once again prevented huge amounts of waste as well as the need for couplings. The contractor estimated one week to tie all the meters into the pipe versus three to four weeks if he used black iron pipe. 800-671-8622; www.omegaflex.com
