After being in the water and sewer industry for almost 15 years, I can safely say a question I hear frequently is “Can Protecto 401™ be used in potable water service applications?” And that is exactly what we are going to talk about in this Iron Strong Blog. We all know it when we see it, the pipe with the red bell and spigot. It sticks out like a sore thumb so that it can be noticed without any confusion. But where can it be used and what is its purpose?
If you're like most people, you probably don't sit around thinking about how much Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) weighs so in this Iron Strong Blog we are going to tell you where to find the weight of the pipe and why it is essential to familiarize yourself with the weight of the pipe.
Over the years, I have spoken with numerous engineers, utilities, and municipalities, and there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to the overall understanding of when and where cement-mortar-lined pipe can be used in wastewater applications. Due to these grey areas, engineers and owners often specify specialty linings for an entire project when the line could have been specified as either cement-mortar lined ductile iron pipe only or a mixture of specialty lined and cement-lined pipe.
A common question that many sales reps in the Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) industry have heard over the years is, "Are you sure you’ve quoted the 3” and 4” pipe correctly?” Once that price is confirmed, the follow-up question from the customer is usually “Why in the world does it cost so much?” Well, there are many reasons for the higher cost, and in this Iron Strong Blog, we will offer some insight into that question.
Question – What is the difference between Ductile Iron and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)? Answer – Many things, but some groups may attempt to “muddy the waters” with inaccurate information regarding the two materials.
With the information that follows, we will take a closer look at what really separates Ductile Iron from PVC and why it matters.
Got Certification? Does your fabricated Ductile iron pipe meet the current ANSI/AWWA C115 / A21.15-11 Standard for fabricated pipe?
Products intended for contact with potable water shall be certified to the requirements of NSF/ANSI 61. The certification shall be accomplished by a certification organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) AWWA Standard, ANSI/AWWA C115/A21.15-11 Section 4.1.2. This standard includes water service pipe, water distribution lines, water treatment plants (WTP), and commercial and industrial services lines.
One question we often receive in the field is, "Can you use Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) when running hot water or steam through pipe?" The answer to that question is YES, but there are several factors you must consider. For this Iron Strong Blog, we are going to look at these factors to help determine what products are needed for each application.
What is the maximum internal pressure Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) can handle, you ask? The simple truth is it depends entirely upon the size of the pipe and its wall thickness. And within any given DI pipe diameter there can be as many as 12 correct yet different answers, given the wide range of intermingled thickness class and pressure class pipe selections available.
Recently, there have been multiple unsuccessful attempts by plastic pipe manufacturers and their trade associations to have legislation passed, mostly on the state level, requiring utilities to specify plastic pipes on their projects.
This legislation is a subject worth exploring deeper as it is being promoted by supporters of plastic and their lobbyists as a fiscally responsible requirement. Still, it provides no consideration for the many variables required in material selection or pipeline design; all are completely ignored in the proposed legislation which would ultimately be an "initial price only" comparison.
One of the more frequent questions we receive in the field is, “What is the size of a piece of Ductile iron pipe?” But that question may apply to the Outside Diameter (OD) or Inside Diameter (ID) of a piece of pipe. For this Iron Strong Blog, we are going to look at a particular size of pipe to help us understand why the OD and ID’s are important to you. We will be using 24 inches as our example pipe size.
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