15 minute drain pipe repair gets hospital bathroom out of a potential hole
An 80mm diameter hole in a cast iron drain pipe through which wastewater leaked out whenever a hospital bathroom was used is permanently sealed in a repair which needed the facility to close for just 15 minutes.
Case Study Data
Site
Hospital
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure pipe repair
Defect
80mm diameter hole in cast iron drain pipe
Products Used
Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty
Fast-working epoxy putty filled with steel which bonds to all pipe materials for sealing holes and cracks
SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap with water activated resin sets rock hard to form a thick, impact resistant sleeve
SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit
Kit kept on-site containing all the products needed for instant repair of cast iron and plastic drain, waste and soil pipes
Case Study PDF
Case Study Details
The cast iron drain pipe ran horizontally in a roof space between two floors at the Victorian-era hospital. It was connected to a bathroom shared by multiple wards and handled wastewater from toilets, sinks and showers.
Corrosion caused a large 80mm hole to appear in the pipe. Whenever wastewater was expelled from the bathroom, significant amounts would pour out from the hole.
Not only was this causing damage inside the roof space, but it also posed a serious health risk. If the pipe could not be sealed immediately, the bathroom would have to be shut until a repair or replacement took place.
This would likely have taken a long time because of the potential bureaucracy involved and with many NHS trusts in England and Wales struggling to afford repairs or upgrades to their crumbling estates.
Thankfully, the hospital maintenance team were equipped with a SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit. The Kit contains multiple products for sealing cracks and splits in cast iron and plastic drain, waste and soil pipes.
It comes in a robust red case which is easy to store on-site. As soon as the roof space leak was discovered, the maintenance team simply retrieved their Drain & Waste Kit and used the materials inside the seal the hole.
Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty was kneaded by hand and formed into a 110mm diameter disc, ensuring total coverage of the hole around all sides.
Whilst soft, the mixed Superfast Steel disc was positioned over the hole and pressed onto the pipe for maximum contact. The edges were firmly pushed into place and smoothed off to form a strong bond with the surface of the pipe.
Before the putty had fully hardened, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was applied on top. The resin was activated using water and SylWrap HD wrapped and smoothed around a 300mm area with the hole at its centre.
SylWrap HD forced the gelled Superfast Steel further into the hole for a more effective seal. Within 10 minutes of mixing, the epoxy putty cured to form a material as hard as steel covering the hole.
The bandage began curing as soon as it was activated, needing less than five minutes to set. It provided an impact resistant protective sleeve around the entire pipe for a reinforced, permanent repair.
With the bathroom only needing to be shut for 15 minutes whilst the drain pipe hole repair took place, there was limited disruption to patients and staff.
An inspection of the roof space several weeks later revealed no sign of leakage despite heavy use of the bathroom. The application had been a complete success with wastewater now fully contained.
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