Gaskets Are Great
Rubber gaskets are the reliable workhorse of any Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) joint. They provide long-lasting flexibility and a watertight seal against internal pressures upwards of 1,000 psi.
What they don’t do, however, is bind the joint longitudinally against such forces. In fact, without assistance from other variables, a push-on or mechanical joint of any diameter would calmly separate lengthwise against pressures as low as 50 psi.
Nowadays, it seems more and more municipalities and utilities are requiring contractors to hire someone to pressure wash Protecto 401TM -lined ductile iron pipe before they will accept the pipe into their system.
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.
McWane Ductile has assembled a team of professionals to assist our clients and the industry in formulating quality and cost-effective projects to serve customers with their water and wastewater needs.
This team consists of Registered Professional Engineers, National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Certified Technicians and ENVISION Sustainability Professionals with experience in managing utility operations, working in the consulting engineering industry, actual manufacturing experience in the pipe industry and decades of field exposure while providing resources and assistance with successful project completion.
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.
Every day around the world, Ductile iron pipe is being installed and used to provide individuals and families the luxury of having quick and easy access to clean water. From the manufacture to the contractor, the end goal is the same; that each pipe joint form a watertight seal after proper assembly.
A displaced or rolled gasket creating water loss in a ductile iron pipeline is one of the most common errors that occurs during joint assembly. Using the resources and experience of McWane Ductile’s long history of manufacturing iron pipe, this blog will provide some helpful tips regarding how to avoid this costly mistake when installing push-on joint pipe.
A question often asked in our business is “Why did the Ductile iron pipe manufacturers all seem to get there start or have roots in Birmingham, Alabama?” If you look back at the history of Birmingham, it is easy to understand why these companies chose this area to establish their businesses. The resources, infrastructure, and manpower all came together to drive the City’s growth and make Birmingham one of the most productive industrial cities in the South.
Radial Welded-on Outlets, Tangential Outlets, Bossed Outlets, and Thread-O-Lets. Have you ever been involved in a project utilizing one of the various pipe outlet configurations? If so, you are likely aware of the special care these products require. If you haven’t been involved in a project requiring outlet piping, then within this blog we will explain the types of outlets available and the importance of the unloading, storage, and installation process.
Ductile Iron (DI pipe) was first used in the United States as early as 1950's. Since iron pipe was one of the earliest pipe materials to be used in modern water works and wastewater systems, most early fittings and couplings were designed to be used on Grey Cast and then Ductile iron pipe.
So, connecting “other” piping material to DI pipe is very straightforward on the Ductile pipe side of the fitting. The most important item to consider is on the other material side of the connection.
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.
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