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.
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.”
You’re Asking. We’re Answering
There are so many questions that our consumers have about ductile iron pipe and one of the biggest categories is the HOW: “How is it made? How is it done? How can I fix this?” And there’s even the “How much does it cost?”
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.
As a municipality, contractor, or an engineering firm, you may have found yourself with a question at your desk or on a jobsite that you simply cannot answer. Sure, we’ve all been there and we all usually find that answer by leaning on our network of resources who specialize in an area of expertise.
So, what happens when you have that technical question while drawing up a set of plans or while at a jobsite? Who are you going to call?
Well, here at McWane Ductile, we want you to know that we’re here to assist you with your water works projects and provide solutions in OUR area of expertise, Ductile Iron Pipe (DI pipe).
In a continuous effort to make your job easier, we have developed an online submittal builder to quickly and neatly package your personalized presentation.
BUILD MY SUBMITTAL
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.
GIVE ME ANSWERS
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.
CALCULATE NOW
McWane Ductile is proud to be a part of the McWane family of companies.
