Tag: CrackSeal

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Case Study: 150mm Cast Iron Soil Pipe Repair Leaking in Hospital Roof Space

A cast iron soil pipe leaking wastewater above a hospital ward undergoes repair using CrackSeal Sealant

30 minute operation to repair a cast iron soil pipe leaking wastewater above a hospital ward

A 150mm cast iron soil pipe leaking through a two-metre horizontal crack undergoes repair in a confined roof space by a hospital maintenance team, preventing a potentially dangerous escape of wastewater into the ward below.

Case Study Data

Site
Hospital
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak Repair
Defect
Two-metre crack in cast iron soil pipe

Products Used

CrackSeal Pipe Sealant
Sealant extruded directly into cracks in cast iron pipework, where it hardens almost instantly to seal the leak

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap with water activated resin sets rock hard to reinforce pipework with an impact resistant sleeve

SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit
Specialist Kit containing products for repairing low-pressure cast iron and plastic waste, sewer and drain pipes

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The cast iron soil pipe was part of the wastewater system installed when the hospital building was constructed in the early 1960s. It was located in a confined roof space, surrounded by other pipework, ducting and electrical cables.

Water starting to drip from a roof above a ward alerted the hospital to a problem. The maintenance team accessed the loft space and discovered a significant horizontal crack approximately two-metres long in the cast iron pipe through which wastewater was leaking.

A two-metre long crack in a cast iron soil pipe before undergoing repair using a SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit
Wastewater was leaking through a two-metre long crack in the cast iron soil pipe

Leaking pipes in hospitals were a hot topic at the time of the repair. Freedom of information requests submitted to NHS trusts as part of a national newspaper investigation showed hospitals in England recorded 456 sewage leaks into wards, maternity units and A&E departments over the previous 12 months.

Only 55 trusts out of more than 100 in England responded to the requests, meaning the true scale of the problem was certain to be much worse. Hospital trusts were therefore under scrutiny for how they responded to and managed leaks.

For this reason, the hospital kept a SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit on-site, containing everything needed to permanently seal all types of drain, waste and soil pipes throughout its estate.

The cracked cast iron soil pipe could therefore be repaired instantly by the maintenance team; preventing water damage to the hospital building, limiting disruption to patients and staff and avoiding the sorts of dangerous leaks reported by other NHS trusts.

Using a standard sealant gun, CrackSeal Cast Iron Pipe Sealant was extruded directly into the crack along its entire two-metre length until it was totally filled.

CrackSeal is a specialist high-performance moisture curing sealant specifically formulated for sealing cracks and longitudinal splits. It is effective on wet surfaces and where water is leaking through at minimal pressure.

CrackSeal Cast Iron Pipe Sealant extruded into a soil pipe in a repair made at a hospital
CrackSeal Pipe Sealant was extruded directly into the crack, hardening inside it almost instantly

For this particular application, CrackSeal offered a faster repair than wrapping over the entire crack with Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape – the other sealing material in the Drain & Waste Kit capable of wet surface repair.

As CrackSeal was extruded, it hardened instantly inside the crack. It formed a skin within 10 minutes, after which the cast iron soil pipe was reinforced with SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage.

Two SYL633HD SylWrap Bandages were used. The resin in the bandage was activated with water and SylWrap applied around an area of the pipe just over two metres; encompassing the crack and giving the repair additional coverage either side.

The repair was completed by wrapping SylWrap HD along the entire length of the pipe for added strength and reinforcement

Once cured, SylWrap formed a rock-hard, impact resistant shell around the pipe. From discovering the leaking pipe to completion of the repair, the entire application was completed in 30 minutes.

Had a Drain & Waste Kit not been available to the hospital, the cast iron pipe would have continued to leak wastewater until a repair solution was found – a process could have taken days.

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 1.05-Metre Long Crack in Cast Iron Downpipe at UK Hospital

Repair of a crack in a cast iron downpipe at a UK hospital through which rainwater had previously been leaking

Emergency operation at UK Hospital… to repair a crack in a cast iron downpipe

A 1.05-metre long crack through which rainwater leaked from a cast iron downpipe located in a constrained wall cavity is sealed in under 30 minutes, with the ease and speed of repair limiting disruption to patients and staff at a busy UK hospital.

Case Study Data

Site
Hospital
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak Repair
Defect
1.05-metre longitudinal crack in cast iron downpipe

Products Used

CrackSeal Pipe Sealant
Sealant extruded directly into cracks in cast iron pipework, setting almost instantly for rapid sealing and repairs

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap with water activated resin which sets rock hard to encompass pipes with an impact resistant outer sleeve

SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit
Specialist Kit containing products for repairing low-pressure cast iron and plastic waste, sewer and drain pipes

Case Study PDF

Download

Case Study Details

The hospital contained an internal 150mm diameter cast iron pipe system for taking away rainwater. The system was reaching the end of its lifespan, but budget restraints and the possibility of new facilities being built in the future meant replacing the ageing pipework was not considered viable.

Instead, the hospital was told to find cost-effective repair methods in the event of the system failing. Which is what happened when a 1.05-metre longitudinal crack developed in one section of pipework.

The leak was located in a constrained wall cavity where the pipe passed downwards through plasterboard on its way to the ground floor. The length of the crack meant it extended far enough on the pipe to also pass through the plasterboard.

Longitudinal crack in a cast iron downpipe before undergoing repair using a SylWrap Cracked Pipe Repair Kit
A 1.05-metre longitudinal crack had developed in the cast iron downpipe

When it rained, water escaped the pipe and saturated the plasterboard. This eventually led to rainwater dripping into a ward full of patients, at which point the hospital became aware of the problem. To ignore it would risk a significant leak developing into the ward, and damaging consequences for the ceiling and wall structure.

A specialist drainage engineer was called in. After accessing the wall cavity, removing some of the plasterboard and inspecting the crack, they decided to use the products in the SylWrap Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit to permanently seal the leak.

The Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit has been designed for repairing cracks and splits in low-pressure cast iron and plastic waste, soil and drain pipes. It comes in a robust red case which is easily kept on-site or on the van by facilities management teams, drain companies and others regularly required to repair such pipework.

Whenever a problem is identified, the user simply retrieves their Kit where everything needed to make multiple repairs quickly and easily is stored.

For this application, CrackSeal Pipe Sealant was used to fill the crack in the pipe. CrackSeal is a high-performance moisture curing sealant specially formulated to fill longitudinal cracks and splits in cast iron pipework.

Crack in a cast iron downpipe filled as part of a repair involving CrackSeal Sealant
CrackSeal Sealant was extruded directly into the crack

Sufficient CrackSeal was extruded directly from its cartridge into the crack until it was totally filled. Although CrackSeal hardens almost instantly, it was left for 10 minutes to form a skin before the repair was reinforced with SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage.

Two SYL616HD Bandages were wrapped along the entire length of the 1.05-metre crack, creating a two-layer repair. The water-activated resin set rock-hard in minutes, providing an impact resistant sleeve protecting both the CrackSeal and the rest of the downpipe.

SylWrap Pipe Repair Bandage applied during the repair of a crack in a cast iron downpipe
Two SYL616HD Bandages were applied around the pipe to create a two-layer repair, completing the application

Sylmasta normally recommend 10 layers of SylWrap HD Bandage be used for full reinforcement. Only two were needed for this application because the pipe took rainwater away at such low pressure.

The cast iron crack repair was completed in under 30 minutes with no disruption to patients or staff in the ward impacted by the leak. Numerous other repairs have now been using the Drain & Waste Pipe Repair Kit made to pipework across the hospital which has since failed.

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