So, you have a waterworks project with a long run of buried Ductile iron pipe where joint restraint is required. What is a reliable, affordable, and easy-to-install solution? The Sure Stop 350® Gasket (SSG) is a good choice. Not familiar with it? This #IronStrong Blog will describe a Sure Stop Gasket, what it is intended for, and how to install it properly.
With a storied history involving faults, earthquakes and piping, the city of Hayward, California sits just across the bay from San Francisco (SF), south of Oakland. The first notable seismic event was recorded here in 1868, when an earthquake with an estimated 6.7 magnitude struck, causing significant damage and deaths. Hayward rebuilt, remaining an agricultural community in the early 20th century, then grew quickly, becoming the sixth-largest city in the SF Bay Area.
There are many "moving parts," as water professionals know, in the operation of a water system. The intricacies of not only supplying customers with a safe water supply but assuring that supply is adequate, including paramount necessities such as fire protection, many times create an ever-changing balance of key parameters within the water system. When the system operator affects such changes, there should be no concern by the operator regarding the transmission and distribution system to accommodate these changes. This article will highlight two system components that can be directly affected by material selected for system underground infrastructure.
Through the years, across the country, contractors, engineers, authorities, and customers routinely ask questions that seem basic yet truly speak to the fundamental versatility of Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe). Among the most popular questions are:
When it comes to restraining a water line, what comes to mind? Thrust blocks? Sure Stop 350® Gaskets? (locking gasket), TufGrip™ (wedge-action retainer gland), or maybe the standard default choice, TR Flex®? (Ductile iron restrained joint pipe). There is another option that might not regularly come to mind. It is known as Mechanical Joint Lock Joint or MJLJ for short. We will look at how the joint works, how it is installed, and locations where the MJLJ may be preferred.
In my career with McWane Ductile, I've sold my fair share of polywrap, but the one thing that I haven't really thought about when selling polywrap is the tape needed to complete the installation. I'm not sure why this is. Maybe the biggest reason is I wasn't sure how much tape was required for each roll of polywrap I sold. Therefore, I wanted to take a deep dive into this subject to make it easier for people to know when ordering polywrap how much tape they need to purchase as well.
Like many other industries, no one could have predicted the multitude of unrelated events that conspired to cause supply chain issues worldwide. But one thing is for certain in the water and wastewater pipe sector, we have experienced one challenge after another.
It’s National Engineers Week (EWeek). Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, (EWeek) is dedicated to promoting careers in engineering and technology to develop a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce. This #IronStrong Blog spotlights the importance of engineers and how they impact the waterworks industry.
Locking gaskets are the industry standard for dependable, reliable, and easy installation of Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) in 3-inch through 24-inch diameters. Locking gaskets for DI pipe have been around for more than 30 years and have been used in over one million push joint installations. However, as good as locking gaskets are in 3-inch through 24-inch, there were challenges involved when attempting to install in 30-inch and 36-inch diameter pipe. In this Iron Strong Blog, we will look at the various reason we do not make large-diameter locking gaskets for DI pipe.
Have you ever been on a Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) installation with restrained joint gaskets and needed to uninstall a previously assembled joint? This is normally prompted by the need to replace a displaced or a “pinched” gasket. Proper gasket placement and attention during assembly is the best way to avoid such conditions, as detailed in a previous blog by McWane Ductile. Unfortunately, the problem often does not arise until the pipeline is hydrostatically tested. In today’s Iron Strong Blog, we will examine the “Dos & Don'ts" of uninstalling with DI pipe restrained joint gaskets.
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