Tag: Universal Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study Data

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Site
Power Station
Location
Puerto Rico
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
Cracked steel contaminated water pipe

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Wrap & Seal fused over the crack to provide a high pressure, temperature resistant, solid rubber band, sealing the leak

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
The taped crack was overwrapped with SylWrap HD, reinforcing the initial repair with an impact resistant layer

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
The products were provided as part of a Universal Pipe Repair Kit for live leaks

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

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The Puerto Rico Power Authority contacted Sylmasta to ascertain if a live leak repair to the cracked steel pipe would be possible. The SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit was recommended and so the contaminated water pipe was easily repaired.

Which was just as well. Within 18 months, Puerto Rico needed all the power generating capability it could muster after the most devastating natural disaster in the recorded history of the island.

The damaged steel pipe was responsible for running contaminated water from a generator in the Power Station back to a treatment plant. At some point, a crack had developed in the bottom of the pipe, through which contaminated water was now escaping.

Nobody was sure how the pipe had been damaged. It was thought that equipment which had been stored underneath the pipe may have inadvertently impacted on it when it was moved shortly before the leak was noticed.

For the Power Authority to make a repair with water pressure turned off or replace the leaking pipe, the generator which was connected to the pipe would have needed to be shutdown. This would have been expensive and severely reduced the Power Station’s capacity for generating electricity.

There was also the danger that once taken out of the service, the repair could have taken a significant amount of time owing to the complications of getting parts shipped to Puerto Rico and flying in contractors to carry out the work. If all of this turned out to be too time consuming and costly, then the generator may have remained out of service.

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Thanks to a Universal Pipe Repair Kit, it did not come to that. Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was applied to the pipe to seal the crack. The waterproof repair tape stretches by 300% and is twice the thickness of any other self-fusing pipe repair tape, ensuring that it fixes leaking pipes even when pressure cannot be turned off.

A SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was then applied over the Wrap & Seal. SylWrap HD set rock hard inside 30 minutes, providing an impact resistant layer and turning the repair permanent. Within an hour, the contaminated water pipe repair was completed, the generator was put back into service and the Power Plant was producing electricity at full capacity again.

The true value of the repair became apparent in 2017, when the category five storm Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Dominica and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane for nine years and left a trail of destruction in its wake across the Caribbean.

Central to the relief efforts both during and after Hurricane Maria was keeping the power on in Puerto Rico. Six months after Hurricane Maria, the contractor who fixed the contaminated water pipe got in contact to say that without the Sylmasta repair of the contaminated water pipe, the Power Station would have had one less generator at a time when Puerto Rico needed all the power available to it.

As a result, the Power Authority were extremely grateful that such a quick and easy repair had been possible. They have since started using the contaminated water pipe case study as an example of why industry should seek repair solutions as soon as problems arise.

Case Study Data

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Site
Underground Water Main
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
Split 400mm carbon steel water main

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tapes were used to provide a pressure resistant repair to the live leak

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
SylWrap HD was overwrapped to offer an impact resistant layer over the Wrap & Seal

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
All the products used in the repair are available as part of the SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit for fixing live leaks

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
A Contractor Case containing enough products to make up to six live leak pipe repairs was recommended to the contractor for conveniently fixing future bursts and leaks

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

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The large split across the diameter of the 400mm underground carbon steel water main had been considered unrepairable for 15 years for several reasons. The normal method for fixing a pipe on the underground water network would be to use a hefty pipe repair clamp, but that was not possible due to the severely confined space the main was located in.

Only a single contractor could access the water main at any one time and there was no room for any heavy equipment, including a clamp. This also made replacement impossible without digging up the area surrounding the water main.

The importance of the water main to the network meant that shutting off flow to carry out work was impractical. The only solution therefore was to find a way to carry out a live leak repair in a restricted space which could be effective even when water pressure could not be turned off – something which had proven elusive until Sylmasta were consulted.

Because of the complexity of the repair and the lack of space in which the contractor attempting to fix the burst water main had to work, Sylmasta recommended the use of multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape and SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage.

It was decided to double wrap 400mm from the flange up the tapered pipe. Double wrapping compensated for the fact that the waterproof repair tape could not be stretched by its full 300%, which could have resulted in less effective fusion.

Applying more than the required number of tapes increased the pressure resistance of the repair. These additional rolls of Wrap & Seal bond to each other in the same way that a single tape fuses to form a solid rubber band. This repair method sealed the leak on the water main.

The Wrap & Seal was then overwrapped using several SylWrap HD 416 Pipe Repair Bandages. On a pipe 400mm in diameter, Sylmasta would normally have advised the use of an 866 Bandage but at 200mm wide by 20m long, there would have been no room to apply such a large wrap to the pipe.

Multiple 416 Bandages were used to cover the same repair area as an 866 Bandage, providing an impact resistant, protective layer to the Wrap & Seal, turning the repair permanent. Once cured, it was evident that the job had worked. Sylmasta had done in an hour what nobody else had managed in a decade-and-a-half by finding a method to repair the burst water main.

Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD both have WRAS approval, meaning that they are safe to use on drinking water. With the water main in question connected to the public supply network, any repair materials had to meet the stringent criteria set out by WRAS so as not to pose a threat by contaminating water which could be consumed by humans.

The contractor carrying out the repair was delighted that after such a long period of time, they had finally been able to offer a solution. They said afterwards: “The repair was a complete success, as we knew it would be. The information that Sylmasta provided greatly supported the project and more importantly, future projects.”

Sylmasta have since recommended that the contractor take stock of the SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case. The Case contains enough products to enable a user to carry out up to six live leak pipe repairs, allowing the contractor to fix burst and leaking pipes in under 30 minutes as soon as problems are reported.

They will never have to wait 15 years to repair a leak again.

Case Study Data

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Site
Wastewater Treatment Works
Location
Sussex, United Kingdom
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
Highly pressurised leak on a 450mm steel contaminated water pipe

Products Used

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SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
The site was recommended a Contractor Case in the aftermath of the incident as it would enable them to carry out up to six emergency live leak repairs in the future

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tapes were used to increase the pressure resistance of the repair

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
SylWrap HD provided a protective layer over the initial repair

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
Both Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD are available as part of the Universal Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

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The contractors working at the Wastewater Treatment Works in the United Kingdom mistakenly believed the pipe in question had been decommissioned and was due for removal. In actual fact, it was one of the most important live pipes on site as it was linked to all the waste treatment ponds. As a result, there was no feasible way to stop the flow once the pipe had been breached.

From the moment the pipe was damaged, the severity of the cuts inflicted to such a highly pressurised pipe resulted in a significant amount of contaminated water escaping. A rapid, live leak repair to the wastewater pipe was therefore required to prevent a catastrophic situation from occurring.

The contractor contacted Sylmasta for urgent assistance. Luckily, the Wastewater Treatment Works was located less than one hour from Sylmasta HQ and so our technical team were able to rush all the SylWrap Pipe Repair products needed to the site and offer assistance throughout the repair.

Several Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape were first applied to the pipe. Wrap & Seal is made from self-fusing silicone which fuses to form a solid rubber band over the hole or crack, sealing the leak. The 450mm diameter of the pipe combined with the high pressure meant that multiple tapes were needed to provide an effective seal.

This initial repair was then overwrapped using a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water-activated resin which sets rock hard in 30 minutes, providing an impact resistant layer over the Wrap & Seal to protect the repair from further damage.

Within an hour of Sylmasta being on site, the contaminated water pipe had been permanently repaired at a cost of less than £300 to the contractor. This included additional SylWrap HD should there be any further mishaps or any existing pipes require strengthening or reinforcing during the construction works.

Had a live leak repair not been possible, then the Wastewater Treatment Works would have had to shut down the entire site to isolate the damaged pipe whilst a replacement was sourced and fitted. The cost of such a procedure would have been astronomical.

The speed of the SylWrap repair also prevented a serious environmental incident from unfolding. This could have been damaging in monetary terms through the cost of a clean up operation and possible fines, and for the reputations of both the Wastewater Treatment Works and the contractor involved.

Understandably, the project manager was extremely happy with the speed and ease with which the contaminated water pipe had been repaired. He emailed Sylmasta a few days after the repair, saying: “Thank you so much, the pipe repair worked a treat.”

Sylmasta have since recommended that the Wastewater Treatment Works takes stock of a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case. The Case contains enough equipment to carry out up to six live leak pipe repairs. By keeping one on site, the Wastewater Treatment Works will have everything they need to fix any future leaks as soon as a problem arises.