I have been on the road for nearly 20 years, talked with numerous contractors and distributors during that time, and there is a common question that I often get asked, "Why do Ductile iron pipe lengths vary?"
McWane Ductile is committed to offering educational resources based upon sound engineering data to our clients and potential clients. One of these resources includes banners that display certain information about our product.
While attending a recent conference, we were challenged on the information these banners contained. In fact, one unknown individual walked by the booth and shouted, “Lies... that information is lies!” without the courtesy of stopping to discuss why he felt that way or what exactly was his objection.
Safe drinking water is essential for sustainable human life. Do you lie awake at night wondering if the water you are drinking is safe? Do you dream about the type of water lines used to transport water to your home or business?
If you are a design engineer or an official responsible for providing clean, safe water to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of residents, then you are most likely the type of person who dedicates a major portion of your time thinking about water quality.
Thankfully, there are entities and standards in place to ensure that products used in water transportation systems are of the utmost quality. In this blog, we’ll discuss the who, what, why, and how products designed to transport safe drinking water are monitored and tested during the manufacturing process at McWane Ductile to meet quality standards.
Odds are you may not be a certified corrosion specialist or an expert in the corrosion field for that matter. Most engineers that are responsible for specifying water projects are not. There are of course engineers who dedicate their entire careers to the subject. The good news is that McWane Ductile is committed to excellence in the corrosion field and provides professionals to assist you with making sound decisions regarding corrosion control.
Over the past several years, you may have heard a lot about applying zinc to your Ductile iron pipe as either a means of corrosion protection or as an added product which will extend the life of DI pipe in a non-corrosive environment. In this blog, we will look a bit closer at the origin of the practice and effectiveness of using zinc for external corrosion protection.
It is very common to get certain questions from our customers regarding the interchangeability of push-on or compression type gaskets that are typically supplied with Ductile iron pipe. These questions are usually easy to answer in a very definitive manner, but there are some exceptions. In this edition of Iron Strong, we will address the three most common questions about gaskets and why this can sometimes be confusing to our customers.
The normal, stocking item for Ductile iron pipe products is lined and coated with a sealcoat that comes in your choice of black. Many water professionals wonder about the purpose of this coating, or paint, that gives Ductile iron pipe it’s familiar appearance. In this article we offer some explanation and history behind the application and advancement of the sealcoat.
Visitors who tour a McWane Ductile facility are often surprised by how much work goes into making Ductile iron pipe. The pipe starts out as scrap metal from old cars and demolished buildings that is melted down and given a new lease on life. Up to 95% of our product is made from recycled material.
Once this metal is in its molten state a crane carries it to centrifugal casting machines where it is spun into a pipe. Next it heads to the annealing oven, an important step in transforming the iron into ductile.
Gaskets are a critical component in your ductile iron piping system. To get the full benefit of your gaskets, they need to be stored in a manner that minimizes deterioration. We don’t always work in favorable conditions, so no matter if you are in the field or in a warehouse, utilizing the best storage practices and locations are key to the performance and the effective lifetime of your gaskets.
In this article, we will cover some guidelines on how to store and care for your gaskets. We will cover the “what to do” as well as the equally important,”what not to do.”
It is pretty much a daily occurrence here at McWane Ductile for our sales staff to receive price requests on a variety of ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) products. Usually this request is for a specific project, but occasionally design engineers will also ask for “budget pricing” for future underground utility projects. This is typically a pretty simple task, but to provide the most accurate and cost-effective pricing, there are a few items that must be addressed that will ultimately determine the final cost to the customer. This article will review some of those variables that determine the final pricing for your DI pipe needs.
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