The choice of materials in water infrastructure is crucial in ensuring the system's durability and reliability and influencing operational costs. Water and wastewater treatment plants are typically the largest energy consumers for municipalities, accounting for 30 to 40% of total energy consumption. To protect their systems from overload, energy companies must implement rolling blackouts during extreme weather. This #IronStrong Blog discusses the benefits of using Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) in your utility water system and how its key advantages can save you money compared to other materials.
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.
Although McWane Ductile loves highlighting major waterworks projects, sometimes it is seeing water professionals work together to solve a utility's problem that deserves recognition. Our valued partners at Northwest Arkansas Winwater called us on Monday, April 27, 2020, with a customer in need — Benton Washington Regional Public Water Authority (BWRPWA).
“Why should I use Ductile iron pipe?”
The question is ostensibly meant to include “instead of other types of piping material.” Well, the reasons are vast and vary depending on project requirements. Since we aren’t talking about a specific project, we’ll look at the general overriding reasons Ductile iron pipe is the best choice for your piping projects.
Question – What is the difference between Ductile Iron and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)? Answer – Many things, but some groups may attempt to “muddy the waters” with inaccurate information regarding the two materials.
With the information that follows, we will take a closer look at what really separates Ductile Iron from PVC and why it matters.
Sustainability and Resiliency are today's buzzwords, especially concerning water and wastewater systems, but what does this really mean to you, the designer, manager and/or operator? Utility people today are bombarded with the answer to this question, and we believe that there is no one answer because every system is unique and experiences different priorities and different challenges.
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.
Cement-mortar lining for iron pipe has been used for nearly 100 years. The first installation of gray iron pipe with a cement lining was recorded in Savannah, GA in 1922. Todays modern Ductile iron pipe still utilizes cement lining for a safe and reliable means of providing clean drinking water to millions of people every day.
On occasion, however, the cement lining may have incurred some damage in the field. The lining, although very durable, does not have the same resistance to bending stress or impact as the pipe itself. Certainly, the pipe or fitting should be checked for further structural damage, but once determined the affected area is only the cement lining, repairs can be made under the applicable provisions within the ANSI/AWWA C104/A21.4 standard CEMENT-MORTAR LINING FOR DUCTILE IRON PIPE AND FITTINGS.
In the realm of Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) joints, standard SBR (Styrene Butadiene) gaskets are the traditional watertight sealing solution. However, did you know these gaskets are not intended for all applications? When dealing with unique jobs, selecting the proper gasket material catering to specific operational demands is essential. There are specialized gaskets, distinct in composition and functionality, that transcend the conventional capabilities of SBR gaskets. Each gasket described below is made for specific purposes based on factors like soil conditions, fluid temperature, or powerful industrial forces. These gaskets utilize modern elastomers to withstand the demands of any given project. In this #IronStrong Blog, we will closely examine each gasket available for your pipeline project.
Today’s modern push-on gaskets are comprised of different types of rubber compounds, and the development of the push-on gasket has proven to be instrumental to the success of the leak-free water and sewer joint. Let's take a closer look at each specialty gasket available on the market today.
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.
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.
