Author: Scott McCarthy

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Case Study: Reinforcement of Weakened Pipe Elbow Joint on 100mm 22 bar Sulphuric Acid Line

A 100mm pipe elbow undergoes reinforcement after the sulphuric acid line it was part of was found to have degraded by 21mm thickness

Chemical romance – the repair and reinforcement of a sulphuric acid line pipe elbow found to have degraded in thickness by 21mm

A pipe elbow on a 100mm sulphuric acid line operating under 22 bar pressure which had degraded from 22mm thickness to just 1mm undergoes urgent repair and reinforcement in Saudi Arabia.

Case Study Data

Site
Petrochemical Refinery
Location
Saudi Arabia
Repair Type
Pipeline reinforcement
Defect
Weakened elbow joint on a 100mm sulphuric acid line

Products Used

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
Applied to the elbow joint to strengthen it via the creation of a shell resistant to corrosion and chemical attack

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Applied over Industrial Metal for further reinforcement by encompassing the elbow with a rock hard protective sleeve and increased hoop strength

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The petrochemical refinery produces over 140 million barrels of petroleum products and 5 million tons of petrochemical products every year, including naphtha, kerosene, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil.

During a routine inspection, a 100mm sulphuric acid line operating under 22 bar pressure was found to have degraded to only 1mm thickness from 22mm on an elbow joint. This required urgent attention before the line failed.

The scale of production at the site meant that the petrochemical company were keen not to have to shut down the line to replace the weakened section, as this would severely impacted on output.

They therefore needed a flexible method of reinforcement for making an effective repair to the elbow on the sulphuric acid line which, for example, a pipe repair clamp would not have been capable of.

A pipe elbow in a line carrying sulphuric acid undergoes repair using Sylmasta Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
The elbow joint was reinforced using Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste

The petrochemical refinery consulted an engineering company with whom Sylmasta work with in the region, and they decided to apply Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste to the elbow to strengthen it.

Industrial Metal is reinforced with corrosion-resistant metal platelets which provide excellent protection against corrosion and chemical attack, creating a tough outer shell around pipes and structures.

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste is applied to a pipe elbow joint in Saudi Arabia to reinforce a weakened 100mm sulphuric acid line
Industrial Metal applied to the elbow using a putty knife

The epoxy paste was spread over the area requiring reinforcement using a putty knife. The 60 minute work time allowed for a large quantity of paste to be mixed and applied without the threat of premature curing, an especially important consideration given the hot climate.

If the remaining 1mm degraded further and the original line was breached, its contents would now be contained by a casing with high chemical and corrosion resistance surrounding the elbow provided by the cured Industrial Metal.

To further reinforce the elbow, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was applied over the Industrial Metal. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in 30 minutes.

It provided an impact resistant layer of protection over the elbow, increasing the hoop strength of the line until such time as a replacement could be conveniently carried out.

Repair completed with SylWrap HD for increased hoop strength

Whilst the reinforcement took place, the pressure was reduced to 8 bar with only a minor amount of disruption to operations at the site. 24 hours after the repair had been completed, the line was restored to its normal 22 bar pressure..

The petrochemical refinery were delighted with the ease and speed of repair made possible by Sylmasta. Regular inspections of the line showed that there had been little to no decrease in the strength of the repair over two years later.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Sylmasta are Industrial Process Pipe Maintenance Company of the Month

A contaminated water pipe at a wastewater treatment works in the United Kingdom is repaired after being accidentally breached during construction work

Industrial Process News Magazine recognise Sylmasta’s contribution to leak reduction through composite pipe repairs

Sylmasta have been named as Pipe Maintenance Company of the Month in the July 2021 edition of Industrial Process News Magazine.

The editorial team were impressed with the work Sylmasta have carried out on reducing leakage on the United Kingdom’s water network and in other industries worldwide through their SylWrap range of pipe repair products.

Sylmasta have partnered with several of the UK’s water utilities company, supplying them with SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Kits. Each kit enables any contractor to make up to six WRAS approved live leak repairs to pipes of all types and diameters without the need for any formal training in under 30 minutes.

The Case is designed to be easily stored on a van. As soon as a burst is identified by a water company on their network, they can send a vehicle equipped with everything needed to fix the problem. This rapid response time reduces the amount of water lost.

A SylWrap repair is effective on complex sections of pipe such as tees and elbows where pipe repair clamps cannot be deployed. The materials involved are also more lightweight, making them easier to manoeuvre and transport than heavy, bulky clamps.

Carrying out a SylWrap repair is a simple two-stage process. The leak is sealed with Superfast Epoxy Putty if pressure can be turned off or Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape if pressure cannot be turned off. The initial sealing material is then overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage.

SylWrap HD is a water-activated composite wrap which sets rock hard in minutes, reinforcing the repair and providing an impact resistant protective sleeve over pipework.

Repairs made using SylWrap are permanent and they offer a cost-effective alternative to replacing damaged sections of pipeline.

Sylmasta’s recognition by Industrial Process News comes at a time when there is growing pressure to reduce leaks across all industries, with the water industry under particular scrutiny.

A report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee released in 2020 said that unless urgent action was taken to cut water wastage, Britain could experience water shortages by 2040.

The water industry have been set ambitious targets when it comes to leak reduction by the regulator Ofwat and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

In England and Wales, leaks must be reduced by 16 percent by 2025, a saving of 561 million. Longer-term targets are to cut water loss from 2020 levels by a third before 2030 and by half before 2050.

Whilst water companies are focused on identifying bursts which may otherwise leak for weeks, months or even years without ever been noticed, there is a growing realisation that this is only half the battle.

Companies also need to be able to repair these leaks quickly and efficiently to reduce leakage levels. The quick repair time of SylWrap can play an important role in doing so.

Away from water, Industrial Process News highlighted the work that Sylmasta do in helping other sectors repair and maintain their own systems, saving water and helping to reduce downtime.

SylWrap pipe repair solutions are used in wastewater treatment, nuclear power stations, petrochemical plants, quarries, agriculture, and by facilities management companies responsible for hotels, leisure facilities and hospitals to name but a few.

SylWrap pipe repair kits are already used on a worldwide scale with several countries in Africa, South America and Asia adopting composite repair.

They are approved by the national water supplier for use on Kuala Lumpur’s vast pipe network and have been used on the water network of Mexico.

With the importance of preserving water for the good of the planet likely to become a more pressing issue in the years to come, the reach of Sylmasta and the SylWrap range of pipe repair kits is only going to extend.

Click here to read issue 702 of Industrial Process News in which Sylmasta were named Pipe Maintenance Company of the Month

Sylmasta Leak Repair Case Studies

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Case Study: 650mm Ductile Iron Pipe Located in Pit Undergoes Live Leak Coupling Joint Repair

A 2 metre section of 650mm pipe buried in an inspection chamber was discovered to be leaking, excavated and then sealed using SylWrap pipe repair products

Coupling goals – the challenging repair of an iron water pipe discovered to be leaking from coupling joints in a disused pipe inspection chamber

A 2 metre section of 650mm ductile iron pipe buried in a former underground inspection pit is excavated by a UK water company to undergo repair after it was found to be leaking from two coupling joints.

Case Study Data

Site
Inspection Pit
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Live leak repair
Defect
650mm ductile iron pipe leaking from coupling joints

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple self-fusing silicone repair tapes used for building up a repair to seal the coupling joints

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Reinforced the coupling repair and fortified the pipe from further deterioration before it was reburied

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Contains multiple Wrap & Seals and SylWrap HD to carry out up to six live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The pit had originally been an inspection chamber housing a valve. Many years ago, the valve had been replaced with a two metre section of straight ductile iron pipe attached to the existing pipe carrying mains water via two coupling joints.

After the straight section was fitted, the whole chamber had been filled in with earth and covered over, where it remained forgotten. That was until the water company responsible for the pipe rediscovered it during maintenance work.

Contractors discovered a 2 metre long section of 650mm ductile iron pipe buried in what used to be a valve chamber was leaking
The 2 metre section of pipe with raised couplings at either end

Soil within the pit was found to be extremely muddy, suggesting that the pipe was leaking in the chamber. After excavating the entire pit to investigate further, the water company discovered that the pipe was in poor condition with slight seepage from both couplings.

The water company decided to seal the couplings to prevent further leakage. Each coupling was 80mm wide but 100mm higher than the 650mm pipe, presenting contractors with an awkward ridge that the repair needed to wrap over.

There were also challenges with the clearance in the pit. The two couplings gave only 35mm underneath in which to work. Conditions within the chamber meant that any repair material wrapped around the pipe would be in danger of picking up mud and dirt off the floor.

Coupling joints on a 650mm ductile iron pipe were leaking before undergoing a leak repair using SylWrap Pipe Repair products
Raised couplings were 100mm higher than the pipe

To overcome this, a polythene sheet was squeezed underneath the pipe. For sealing the couplings, multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape were used to build a repair over and around the couplings.

Wrap & Seal is made from self-amalgamating silicone which fuses to form a solid rubber band for live leak repairs. Separate Tapes will also fuse to each other, this being how the repair was built up and the difficult ridge shape of the coupling sealed.

Each coupling and the surrounding area was then encompassed with a SYL1266HD SylWrap Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes to provide an impact resistant layer of protection.

  • A 2 metre section of pipe in a valve chamber leaking from coupling connections undergoes repair
The completed repair with both couplings encapsulated with SylWrap HD

SYL1266HD Bandages are 300mm wide, giving them more than enough coverage to be moulded around the raised coupling. With the reinforcement provided by SylWrap, the water company could rebury the pipe safe in the knowledge that the leaks were sealed and the pipe had been suitably fortified to prevent further deterioration.

Both Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD have WRAS approval, meaning that they are certified to British standards as safe to use on pipes carrying drinking water. Because the pipe carried mains water, it was a legal requirement that any repair materials used had to be WRAS approved.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Live Leak Repair of a Cracked 4 bar 250mm PCCP Pipe Stub in Saudi Arabia

A PCCP pipe stub leaking through several cracks undergoes a live leak repair in Saudi Arabia

No more stress over a cracked prestressed concrete cylinder pipe – the SylWrap live leak repair which sealed a PCCP stub

After several failed attempts to repair a badly cracked 250mm PCCP pipe stub with no isolation valve, an engineering company in Saudi Arabia turned to Sylmasta for a live leak repair method

Case Study Data

Site
Industrial Site
Location
Saudi Arabia
Repair Type
Live leak repair
Defect
Cracked 250mm PCCP stub with no isolation valve operating under 4 bar pressure

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple self-fusing silicone repair tapes combined to build a high pressure seal over the leak areas

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Reinforced the initial repair with wrapping extended to protect the entire stub

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Contains multiple Wrap & Seals and SylWrap HD to carry out up to six live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) stub was connected to a main header operating under 4 bar pressure. Wear and tear had caused numerous cracks to appear in the stub, through which significant amounts of water was escaping and causing flooding.

Because there was no isolation valve, preventing flow to the stub from the main header was impossible. Shutting off the main pipe for carrying out either a repair or replacement was impractical and there was not enough room between the stub and the floor to fit a pipe repair clamp.

A 250mm prestressed concrete cylinder pipe leaking from several cracks
Water was gushing from several cracks on the PCCP stub

A live leak repair method was therefore needed. This proved extremely challenging and after several attempts which failed to make any reductions in the amount of water being lost, the engineers charged with fixing the stub turned to Sylmasta.

As this was a live leak, Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was used to seal the cracks on the stub. Wrap & Seal is made from self-amalgamating silicone and stretches by 300 percent to fuse into a solid rubber band around pipework.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage being used to reinforce Wrap & Seal as part of a live leak repair on a 250mm leaking PCCP stub pipe
SylWrap HD was applied over the top of multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tapes

Multiple Wrap & Seals were applied down a 200mm area of the stub. In the same way in which a single tape amalgamates to itself, these separate tapes fused together to create a repair with enough pressure resistance to seal the cracks.

Once the engineers were satisfied that the leaks had been suitably arrested, the stub was overwrapped with SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandages.

Repair reinforced with initial layer of SylWrap HD

SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes. It reinforced the repair by providing an impact resistant sleeve around the PCCP pipe stub

After this section of the stub had been sealed, it was decided to reinforce the underground section at the same time. Doing so would protect the remainder of the ageing pipe from future ruptures, which might prove difficult to identify if they were leaking below the floor.

Completed live leak repair of a 250mm PCCP pipe stub in Saudi Arabia
Entire pipe protected with SylWrap after the floor was removed to access the buried section

The floor was dug up around the stub to reach the pipe. Once accessed, a further 200mm section of previously underground pipe was wrapped with SylWrap HD.

One final covering of SylWrap HD was then applied over the bandages already covering the two phases of the repair, encompassing the entire stub and providing reinforcement before the floor was relaid.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Emergency Repair of Hospital 300mm Air Conditioning Pipe on Hottest Day of June

A water return pipe in a Lonndon hospital air conditioning unit undergoes a SylWrap repar to ensure that the system could remain in operation

Keep cool and carry on – a SylWrap repair gets a hospital air conditioning system back in operation on the hottest day of June

On a day when temperatures in London reached 27ºC, a burst 300mm water return pipe forced the shutdown of a hospital air conditioning system until a SylWrap emergency leak repair was made

Case Study Data

Site
Hospital
Location
London, United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure leak repair
Defect
Two deep cavities in a 300mm air conditioning water return pipe operating under 12 bar pressure

Products Used

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
Fast setting epoxy putty used to fill in the deep cavities in the water return pipe

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple self-fusing silicone repair tapes provided additional leak sealing security

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Two layer application completed the repair with an impact resistant protective sleeve

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The 300mm water return pipe was located in a cabinet alongside other service pipes. It burst through a previous repair attempt, requiring an immediate shutdown of the air conditioning system as water escaping the pipe at 12 bar pressure would have caused internal flooding.

This shutdown left the hospital building without any temperature control on the hottest day of the year. The burst was initially discovered in the middle of Sunday night, at which point the hospital immediately contacted their maintenance team.

The maintenance team arrived at Sylmasta HQ first thing on Monday morning to collect the products needed to carry out a repair. Sylmasta technicians were also able to offer technical assistance based on photos of the burst air conditioning pipe.

Coarse fibreglass strands remained on the pipe from the previous repair. It was decided to cut these away to enable the maintenance team to locate the actual leak site and have a better chance of sealing it.

  • Deep cavity in a 300mm air conditioning water return pipe requiring repair
Cavities in the pipe and the remains of the previous failed repair through which water was escaping

Two distinct leak areas were stripped back, revealing two deep cavities in the pipe. These were filled with Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty, a fast curing putty supplied in stick format.

Superfast Steel is kneaded by hand and pushed into areas of damage whilst soft. Within 5 to 10 minutes, the putty had hardened to seal the cavities in the pipe.

  • Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty used to fill in deep cavities during the repair of a 300mm pipe in a London hospital's air conditioning system
Superfast Steel used to fill in the cavities

Because of the inconsistent substrates in this case, it was decided to take a ‘belt and braces’ approach to the repair and use Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape to provide additional leak sealing security.

The entire leak area was wrapped with multiple layers of Wrap & Seal, a self-amalgamating silicone repair tape which fuses to form a solid rubber band for high-pressure resistant repairs.

Combining Superfast Steel and multiple Wrap & Seals created a repair with resistance to the required 12 bar and ensured that there was no chance of seepage of water around the epoxy putty.

  • Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape applied in a Sylmasta repair of a burst 300mm pipe in a hospital air conditioning unit
Wrapping the entire leak area with Wrap & Seal reinforced the repair made with Superfast Steel

Once it had been established that the leak had been completely sealed, the application was finished with the wrapping of two SYL866HD SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandages over the repair.

SylWrap HD is a water activated composite wrap which sets rock hard in minutes. It provided a protective sleeve around the pipe, reinforcing the repair even further.

As the temperature began to heat up during Monday morning when the pipe remained out of operation, numerous alarms in the hospital building were triggered as equipment and machinery began to overheat without any air conditioning.

A 300mm water return pipe in a London hospital's air conditioning system is repaired using a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Repair completed with SylWrap HD

The ease and speed with which the products in the SylWrap Pipe Repair range can be applied meant that by Monday afternoon, the pipe was fixed and the air conditioning system back in operation.

Without the air con pipe repair method and the technical assistance provided by Sylmasta, the hospital could have gone days without any air conditioning – a clearly unsustainable situation when temperatures in London were peaking at 27ºC.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Buried 600mm Asbestos Cement Pipe Leaking Sleeve Repair in Mexico

A leaking asbestos cement pipe with water escaping from a sleeve undergoes repair in Mexico using a SylWrap Pipe Repair Kit

The 600mm asbestos cement pipe repair which showed Sylmasta have all kinds of tricks up their sleeve

When a water utility company in Mexico discovered that a 600mm asbestos cement pipe was leaking from both ends of a sleeve, they needed to access the buried line and seal the gaps with a repair method flexible enough to be effective when applied in a trench.

Case Study Data

Site
Pipeline
Location
Mexico
Repair Type
No pressure leak repair
Defect
Leaking sleeve on a 600mm asbestos cement pipe

Products Used

Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty Stick
Fast-working epoxy putty pushed into gaps between the sleeve and the pipe to seal the leaks

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating silicone repair tape used to force Superfast Copper further into the gaps, strengthening the repair

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Applied over the sleeve to provide an impact resistant layer of protection

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Products were supplied as part of a Contractor Case, capable of making up to six live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The water utility company had been carrying out maintenance work on a 500mm buried pipeline outside the city of Morelia, around a four hour drive from Mexico City.

Whilst undertaking this work, it was discovered that there was a failure in a 600mm asbestos cement parallel line. Water was escaping from both ends of a sleeve on the 600mm pipe.

  • The asbestos cement pipe whilst buried
  • A pipe made from asbestos cement leaking from both ends of a sleeve prior to being repaired with a SylWrap Pipe Repair Kit
    A trench was dug to access the pipe
  • The pipe passed under a building close to the leak
  • Inspection of the pipe prior to repair with a SYL-PRO-50-150

To replace this damaged section would have been difficult; the pipeline passed under a building less than 10 metres away from the location of the leaking sleeve. Excavation of the pipe would also have been challenging.

A trench was dug to access the asbestos cement pipe, affording 500mm of space on one side, 1.7 metres on the other and minimal space between the line and the ground. Any repair method therefore needed to be effective in tight spaces.

  • Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty Stick used to seal gaps between a pipe sleeve and the surface of an asbestos cement pipe
  • Repair of an asbestos cement pipe leaking through gaps between the surface and the sleeve made using Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty
Superfast Copper sealed the gaps between the sleeve and the pipe

Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty was used to plug the gaps between the sleeve and the surface of the pipe, through which water was escaping.

The Putty was kneaded by hand and pushed firmly into the gaps at both ends of the sleeve. Within 10 minutes, the Putty had begun to harden to seal the space.

  • Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Rape used to repair a leak on an asbestos cement pipe in Mexico leaking from a sleeve
Wrap & Seal Tapes forced the Putty further into the gaps

To further reinforce the putty and add another leak sealing layer, each joint was wrapped with a Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape. Despite the space constraints, the Tape was stretched by the maximum 300 percent to form a solid silicone band.

Completing the application, a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was used to encompass the entire sleeve. SylWrap HD provided one final, impact resistant layer of protection to the pipe before it was re-buried.

Repair was completed with a protective shell provided by SylWrap HD

All the products required for the repair were supplied as part of a SYL-PRO-50-150 SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case, containing enough products to make up to six live leak repairs.

In this instance, the Case was the most suitable product as multiple Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD were required due to the size of the asbestos cement pipe requiring repair.

The purpose of the Contractor Case normally though is to allow regular users to carry out several repairs. It is designed to be kept on-site or on the van, enabling rapid response to leaks when they are identified.

With the water utility company currently investing in leak detection technology, Sylmasta are providing assistance as to how the problems that the new technology identifies can be repaired as quickly as possible.

The Contractor Case works hand-in-hand with leak detection, equipping contractors with everything they need to fix leaks and burst as soon as they are discovered.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Industrial Metal Repairs a Large Gouge to Refurbish a Drill Base Stand

Industrial Metal used to repair a severely damaged drill base stand

Drill and fill – the repair and refurbishment of a badly damaged second-hand drill base stand

An engineer refurbished a second-hand drill base stand at a fraction of the cost of buying new, using Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste to repair a large gouge caused by the previous owner’s misuse.

Case Study Data

Repair Type
Metal repair and refurbishment
Defect
Large gouge in a drill base stand

Products Used

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
Epoxy paste used to fill the significant gouge suffered by the drill base

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

The stand was suffering from a significant gouge where the drill had frequently been allowed to penetrate the base by the previous owner, who as a result had subsequently decided to sell the stand.

It was otherwise in good condition, meaning that if the engineer who bought the stand could refurbish it, then he would have a working second-hand drill base at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new stock.

After consulting Sylmasta, it was decided that Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste would be the most suitable material for filling in the gouge and returning the base to close to its original state.

A large crack in a drill base stand which required a repair to refurbish the stand to its original state
The large gouge in the drill base stand requiring repair

Industrial Metal is thixotropic, meaning it will not sag. It is virtually odourless, with no unpleasant smell compared to other epoxy pastes.

It is temperature resistant to 130°C and reinforced with corrosion-resistant metal platelets, giving it a smoother finish than regular epoxy repair pastes when machined.

The gouge in the stand requiring repair had penetrated right through the base. To prevent the Industrial Metal falling onto the floor as it was applied, a wooden plate was placed underneath the gouge.

Wooden plates fashioned to assist the application of Industrial Metal

Further wood was used to ensure that the necessary gaps included as part of the base’s design did not inadvertently become filled by the epoxy paste.

Before using Industrial Metal, the drill base had to undergo a degree of preparation. All traces of rust and grime were removed from the surface, which was then roughed up using abrasives.

Industrial Metal was applied as soon as the preparation stage was complete. The epoxy paste was pushed into the gouge using a hand tool, with the work time of 60 minutes allowing more of the paste to be mixed and applied without the threat of premature curing.

Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste applied to fill in a large crack in a drill base stand repair and refurbishment
Industrial Metal applied to fill the gouge
Completed repair of a drill base stand using Industrial Metal Epoxy Paste
The completed repair was sanded down to an ultra-smooth finish

A full cure was achieved in 24 hours, after which the surface of the drill stand was sanded down to provide an ultra-smooth finish which was seamless with the rest of the base. The rebuild using epoxy paste had been a complete success.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Repair of an 80mm Split to a Plastic Hose Supplying Water to a Pond

A longitudinal split in a plastic hose supplying water to a bond undergoes repair with a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit

Not sleeping with the fishes – a lengthy split in a plastic hose supplying water to a pond undergoes repair

During landscaping work, a pruning saw caused serious damage across a 300mm area of an unnoticed plastic hose supplying water to a pond, including a 80mm longitudinal split requiring repair.

Case Study Data

Site
Domestic Property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak repair
Defect
80mm longitudinal split and 300mm of damage to a plastic supply hose

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-fusing silicone repair tape used to seal the split and other leaks

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap provided an impact resistant layer to protect the repair and the hose

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
The property owner was supplied with a Universal Pipe Repair Kit containing both products

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The pond was on a property cut into the side of a hill with a retaining wall behind it. The roots of shrubs, ivy, and other plants and weeds above the wall were beginning to cause damage to the structure and so the property owner decided to cut some of them away with a pruning saw.

Unfortunately, the owner did not realise that buried just beneath the soil was a hose made from industrial grade plastic supplying water to the pond. As they attempted to remove the shrubs using the saw, they inadvertently cut into the hose.

A plastic hose inadvertently cut into with a pruning saw prior to undergoing a SylWrap repair
Water spraying from the 80mm split in the plastic hose

The damage to the hose was severe with a 80mm longitudinal split from which pressurised water was spraying out. There were several smaller leaks either side of the main split, leaving a 300mm area of hose requiring repair.

Gaining access to make a hose repair was extremely difficult because of the roots, the shrubs and the proximity of the retaining wall. To repair the split in the plastic hose, a versatile solution was therefore needed.

The split in the hose once water pressure had been turned off

Sylmasta supplied the property owner with a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit for sealing live leaks, containing SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage and Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape. An additional roll of Wrap & Seal was included due to the 300mm coverage of the repair area.

Water supply was turned off and the hose was cleaned to remove all traces of soil. A plastic sheet was then placed underneath the hose to prevent any further soil or grit being picked up during the application of the Wrap & Seal, which was wrapped across the entire damaged section.

Despite the space constraints around the hose, the Wrap & Seal was successfully stretched by the maximum 300 percent. It fused to form a solid rubber band which sealed the 80mm split and the other smaller leaks present.

The repair was finished by wrapping SylWrap HD over the Tape. The water-activated composite repair wrap provided a rock hard, impact resistant layer in minutes to protect the hose prior to it being reburied in the ground.

Completed repair of a leaking plastic hose suffering from a 30mm longitudinal split
Completed repair of the split plastic hose

Completing the repair took less than 30 minutes and cost under £40. Afterwards, the property owner contacted Sylmasta to say: “There are no longer any leaks in the hose, so I am very happy with the repair.”

“SylWrap is an excellent piece of kit which I wish I had come across years ago and the technical assistance I received from Sylmasta was very much appreciated.”

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Reinforcement of Weakened 22 Degree Cast Iron Pipe Elbows

Reinforcement of 22 degree elbows on cast iron water mains carried out by Sylmasta

Ending a potentially explosive situation – Sylmasta provide reinforcement for pipe elbows following a blowout in a valve chamber

A blowout in a valve chamber in Grimsby, United Kingdom, alerted a water company to the fact that numerous 22 degree 450mm cast iron pipe elbows were below specification and required urgent reinforcement to prevent further incidents occurring.

Case Study Data

Site
Valve Chamber
Location
Grimsby, United Kingdom
Repair Type
Elbow joint reinforcement
Defect
Below specification 22 degree elbow joints on 450mm cast iron water mains

Products Used

Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating
Offered protection to the pipework from factors such as corrosion and created a PCC-2 compliant load transfer layer with SylWrap HD.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
10 layer application reinforced each elbow joint by providing an impact-resistant protective sleeve.

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

Numerous large diameter water mains made from cast iron were operated by the water company with most of these approximately 50 years old.

After an incident in a valve chamber in Grimsby where a 22 degree bend on a 450mm main blew apart, analysis of the cast iron showed that the original castings were below specification.

The incident was believed to have occurred when the water main pump from the reservoir to the treatment works stopped and the non-return valve closed, causing a pressure surge which peaked at 10 bar from zero.

Analysis of the cast iron pieces showed no corrosion along the crack lines. The blowout was therefore most likely caused by the low strength of the original casting which had a hardness of only 107.

To prevent similar incidents occurring again, the water company needed to carry out reinforcement of all remaining pipe elbows of the same specification.

  • Pipework in a valve chamber where Sylmasta carried out the reinforcement of 22 degree cast iron pipe elbows
Pipework in the Grimsby valve chamber

The length of the repair area was 350mm between flanges and the application needed to withstand 8 bar operating pressure with fluctuations up to the 10 bar which had caused the original blowout.

Sylmasta advised using Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating and SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage to strengthen the elbow joints against future pressure surges and other factors including corrosion.

Each pipe was cleaned prior to being coated with Liquid Metal, a metal-filled brushable epoxy which sets to a smooth, metallic, hard-wearing surface over pipework.

Coating the elbow joints with Liquid Metal provided corrosion protection and improved adhesion between the pipework and the SylWrap HD Bandage, creating a PCC-2 compliant load-transfer layer.

10 layers of SylWrap HD were then applied over the Liquid Metal. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water-activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes, providing reinforcement to pipework pressure resistant to 30bar.

  • Reinforcement of elbow joints in a valve chamber made using Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating and SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

Each elbow joint could be reinforced in two to three hours and there was no need to turn off the water supply to complete an application. Sylmasta’s repair saved the water company considerable money compared to replacing the below specification pipework and the necessary shutdown of equipment.

After the repair, the strategic water operations manager told Sylmasta: “The wrapping materials have proved central to our project in securing the structural condition of some 22 degree bends found to be in weak condition.”

“The early success of the project in Grimsby has seen it already adopted by other sites in our network, with Hartlepool also happy with it as a preventative measure and more to follow.”

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Earth Day: How pipe repair can help save the environment and the planet

Pipe repair can help protect the environment by producing the levels of water lost to leaks on public supply networks, helping to protect supplies

Water is precious – the more we can save, the better for our planet

Every year on April 22nd, the world marks Earth Day to demonstrate support for environmental protection. When we talk about pipe repair, it is mostly in the context of saving money or protecting homes and properties from water damage, but fixing a leaking pipe quickly and easily can also help save the environment.

Planet Earth has a water problem which is mainly attributed to climate change. Hotter, dryer summers have brought on widespread, record-breaking droughts to put extreme stress on supplies.

Eastern Australia experienced its worst ever drought in 2019. Water shortages became so bad in São Paulo in 2015 that it caused rioting and looting. An official state of calamity had to be declared and the army was on standby to restore order.

California meanwhile was in a constant state of drought between 2011 and 2017, the most extreme known in 1200 years. 95 percent of the state’s winter salmon were killed in 2013, 62 million trees were lost in 2016 and residents were frequently placed under mandatory water restrictions of 25 percent.

In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warned in a September 2020 report that taps could run dry by 2040 unless more was done to protect supplies in the face of not only climate change, but population growth. More people on Earth results in more water being drawn from nature.

To help the environment, the world cannot afford to waste water. Every drop is precious. One of the biggest contributors to water waste – arguably the biggest – is leakage on public supply networks. In 2019-20, 2.95 billion litres of water were lost every day to leaks on the UK water network.

That might seem like an eye-watering amount, but it is actually the lowest ever leakage figure since records began in the mid-1990s, when 4.5 billion litres of water was lost. A combination of new leak detection technology, innovative pipe repair methods and a firm focus on saving water from government and stakeholders has been responsible for the drop.

Still, there is clearly much to do if the UK is to avoid running out of supplies by 2040, as forecast by the Public Accounts Committee. Ofwat used its PR19 five-yearly review into the water industry to demand water companies in England and Wales reduce leaks by 16% by 2025, saving enough water to supply every person in the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have gone further, saying that leakage must be cut by half its 2020 levels by 2050. That would mean nearly 1.5 billion litres of water being saved via pipe repair, a huge boost to supplies in the UK, the environment and the planet.

Detecting and fixing leaking pipes is not always easy. Bursts and leaks often occur deep underground and can go unnoticed for months. Even when they are discovered, many are not straightforward to repair. Access may be difficult, the problem could be on a challenging joint, or the only solution considered might be replacement.

For particularly challenging leaks and bursts, water companies may consider it too costly and disruptive to carry out a repair or replacement. Instead, they will simply leave pipes to leak water for many years. One example of this comes from a burst water main which had been leaking for 15 years.

The traditional means of repair used by water companies is a pipe repair clamp. Whilst extremely effective in the right situations, clamps are hefty and bulky. They cannot be applied around elbows or tees, and are not always flexible enough to be fitted in confined spaces.

This was the problem faced by the company responsible for the burst water main. Only one worker could access the hole at a time, there was no room for a clamp, and to replace the main would have meant severe disruption caused by shutting off supplies and digging up the surrounding area. As a result, it was considered unrepairable.

That was until a Sylmasta Live Leak Pipe Repair came along. Using a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit, the latest contractors hired by the water company to find a solution were able to carry out a permanent live leak repair in under an hour.

A SylWrap repair consists of a simple two-stage process. The leak is first sealed using either Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape (if pressure cannot be isolated) or Superfast Epoxy Putty (if water can be turned off). A SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage is then applied over the initial leak sealant to complete the repair. 

SylWrap HD is a water-activated, resin impregnated fibreglass tape which sets rock hard to provide an impact-resistant, protective shell around damaged pipework, strengthening it and extending its lifespan. Repairs can be made to pipes of any diameter or type, to leaking elbows, tees, rivet joints and other challenging sections of pipework, all without the need for any formal training.

Pipe repair becomes a task any person can carry out using a SylWrap Kit – including in domestic settings. A SylWrap Pipe Repair Kit means that a small leak on a bathroom or kitchen pipe not worth paying a plumber to look at can now be fixed by the property owner in less than 30 minutes for under £20.

The speed and ease with which repairs can be made using SylWrap has seen several of the UK’s water companies approve the SylWrap Contractor Case for use on their networks. The national supplier in Malaysia is also using the Contractor Case to fix leaks on the vast pipe network of Kuala Lumpur. SylWrap is a global solution to a worldwide leak problem.

Each case contains enough products to make up to six repairs and can be easily stored on a van. Whenever a leak is detected, a contractor simply has to reach for their case, where everything they require to make a live leak repair can be found.

Pipe repair is not the only way to save water and protect the environment. We can all do more to reduce the amount of water we use through simple, everyday lifestyle changes such as spending less time in the shower and not leaving the tap running when brushing our teeth. Those savings may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the near-3 billion litres lost to leaking pipes every year, but every little helps.

A concerted push from the whole world can help preserve water supplies and play a part in saving the environment, and pipe repair should be at the forefront of it.

To speak to a Sylmasta technician about how your company might benefit from using SylWrap Pipe Repair solutions for carrying out pipe repairs, then please contact Sylmasta via email or on +44 (0)1444 831459.

SylWrap Pipe Repairs