Ductile iron pipe (DIP) is one of the most widely used pipe materials in North America. The Design Life is second to no other pipe material due to its robust design. This pipe material is the strongest and most resilient available for water and wastewater utilities providing unparalleled Life-Cycle value.
In many areas, utilities need to consider how to protect these valuable pipelines from corrosive soils. The question is “How can we economically protect these pipelines to meet or exceed the 105-110 year average design life of DIP?”
Even in this modern era, we are still concerned with many of the issues that early civilizations faced when providing water to our communities, such as supply and demand, pipeline construction and upkeep, cleanliness, conservation and cost. In the fall of 2018, McWane Ductile’s Senior Regional Engineer, Roy Mundy, had the opportunity to interview Consolidated Utility District General Manager Bill Dunnill. The two gentlemen, both with utility management experience, had a candid conversation about Bill’s day-to-day challenges, successes and his preferred choice of pipeline material. The following are excerpts from their discussion.
When talking about ductile iron pipe in sewer applications, many times Induron’s Protecto 401™ comes to mind. Protecto 401 lining has often been the specified lining for ductile iron pipe in sewer applications more than 50 years.
Common uses for Protecto 401 are for a sewer force main that may not be fully running, where trapped air may exist, where chemical resistance is required, or for abrasion resistance. There may be occasions in the field when patching of the Protecto 401 lining may be necessary.
“It was a normal day on the job while working for the city of Hayward, California. Later that morning, I got word that an earth moving contractor hit our transmission main. My stomach turned because it is one of two feeds that supplies water all the way up the hills of Hayward in a series of 250-foot lifts (elevation gains)…”
The following article was recently featured in McWane Ductile’s Modern McWane magazine and tells of one water professional’s experience when faced with what could have been a catastrophic event, and the decisions he made to resolve a very large pipeline problem.
As a general or mechanical contractor, you want to know the piping materials for your job are fabricated to meet or exceed project specifications and delivered in a timely manner. McWane Ductile-Ohio has a dedicated Treatment Plant Division providing specialized Design-Build services to support your project from concept to final buildout. Our team provides pre- and post-bid services to ensure your projects are completed on time and on budget.
In today’s world, we all recognize the need to be concerned with our environment and natural resources. We all realize that these things are limited and not self-restoring. We now have several generations that have always had recycling and environmental awareness in their lives. This post drills deeper into the question What is the Recycled Content of Ductile Iron Pipe and Why Is It Important?
The more than 75 years of ongoing research on iron pipe corrosion and the use of polyethylene encasement has led to this type of corrosion mediation becoming the accepted industry practice for protecting ductile iron pipe. So, the question many may ask is; “Since I had such success with standard polyethylene encasement, why should I now use V-Bio Polyethylene Encasement instead?” To best answer this, it’s imperative to look at what specifically V-Bio provides that is not available with standard polyethylene encasement.
Can McWane Ductile provide bonded coatings? A good question recently posed and more frequently asked due to a greater recognition of potential corrosive environments. To correctly address this question, some other questions need to be answered first.
For generations, McWane Ductile has been an industry leader in the manufacture of water distribution and infrastructure products. The history of McWane Ductile, a family owned company, has beginnings dating back as early as 1871, when Charles Phillip McWane entered the foundry business in Lynchburg, Virginia, with his sons Harry and James Ransom (JR).
When designing or constructing ductile iron pipe utility projects, there is often a discussion of about what joint to use for restraint at the fittings - TR Flex® fittings or the more common Mechanical Joint (MJ) fitting with retainer glands?
As a contractor or engineer, what is important to you? Time, flexibility, or cost? Let me guess, you want all three. Below we will look at some of the items to consider that may assist you in this decision.
In a continuous effort to make your job easier, we have developed an online submittal builder to quickly and neatly package your personalized presentation.
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Looking for answers to your DI pipe questions? Find decades of Ductile iron expertise with installation guides, videos, tip sheets, training resources, and more in our Learning Center.
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