Are you the owner, supervisor, or crew member responsible for installing Ductile iron pipe? Have you ever become nervous before a hydrostatic pressure test or experienced increased anxiety during a test? Were you relieved when the waterline passed the test? What about if it failed? Did you feel defeated?
My local water utility recently contacted our home to inform us they were turning the water off from noon to 6:00 p.m. to repair a newly discovered water leak. This situation made me think about water loss, specifically how long the water line had been leaking, how many gallons of treated water was lost, and how a utility keeps up with water loss. This Iron Strong Blog describes the various components of a Water Loss Control Plan (WLCP) and the importance Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) plays in an overall water management strategy.
Customers will, at times, ask why manufacturing facilities are shut down. Let's face it; we live in an "I want the product, and I want it NOW world," and no one wants to hear about a shutdown. The following #IronStrong blog covers what occurs during a shutdown at McWane Ductile foundries and the main reason for the shutdown, which is ultimately "YOU," the customer.
A major goal of a water utility is to increase its safe yield as it can directly relate to economic development, potential limiting of new customer connections, or quality of life in general when ample water supply is limited. In this #IronStrong Blog, we will discuss factors that affect safe yield and strategies to ensure it.
Have you ever been asked to supply a submittal for one of your construction projects? As we all know, water, electricity, gas, and fiber optic are critical to infrastructure today, with many facets involved in each project. These installations must be constructed to adhere to the specifications required by the engineer and demanded by the owner. Most projects, whether they are public or private, require a preconstruction submittal package that ensures all the product requirements are being met. In this Iron Strong Blog, we cover the creation and content of product submittals in more detail as we provide step-by-step instructions for utilizing the McWane Ductile Submittal Builder.
In years past, gray cast iron pipe was originally sold with no lining or coating on the pipe's interior. After many years of study, it became apparent that the inside of cast iron pipe might be affected by certain types of water. In this Iron Strong Blog, we will describe tuberculation, why it happened in older iron pipe, and the modern solution for tuberculation.
What to do when your hydrostatic PROOF goes POOF? All too often, the tester becomes a prisoner of the gauge, wistfully hoping that somehow, someway, each time the pipeline is pumped back to the same pressure, it would bring a different or better result. On the other hand, in less than 2-hours, the McWane Ductile Double Bump Test (DBT) offers these benefits:
For many people, including us, Fall and Winter are favorite times of the year. There are several things to look forward to, from football tailgates and holidays with family to sled riding with the kids. However, along with the fun can come treacherous weather conditions such as freezing temperatures, freezing rain, snow, sleet, and ice. In this Iron Strong Blog, we will discuss several topics related to cold weather Ductile iron pipeline (DI pipe) installations and how to ensure your utility isn’t stranded out in the cold.
Material comparisons, in whatever format presented, are a common and useful tool for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of one product versus another. These evaluations can assist engineers and specifiers with selecting the proper material, yet must contain relevant and factual details so as not to be vague or misleading. Otherwise, they are no more than bad marketing literature. Such is the case with a recent publication from a plastic pipe manufacturer and their most recent comparison of PVC pipe to Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe)1. In this #IronStrong Blog, we pointedly call out several erroneous claims by “writing the wrongs” contained in the published chart below.
Approximately 85% of a utility’s capital investment is underground. Since water and sewer infrastructure plays such a significant role in the total energy consumption of municipalities, more emphasis must be placed on energy savings when selecting pipe materials. This Iron Strong Blog will describe factors that affect energy cost at water utilities and how to save money.
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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Stop struggling with those hard-to-figure field calculations and put ease and efficiency right at your fingertips with our Pocket Engineer for mobile and desktop devices.
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