After several unsuccessful repair attempts, an iconic hotel in central London turned to Sylmasta to find a solution for a large 50mm x 25mm hole in a cast iron wastewater pipe which was leaking above one of the most prestigious rooms, forcing its closure to the public.

Case Study Overview

Site Hotel
Location Central London, UK
Pipe Type Cast iron wastewater
Repair Type No pressure leak repair
Products Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

Pipe Defect

A 50 x 25mm hole had developed in the cast iron wastewater pipe, positioned on an elbow joint. The pipe was located between the floor of one level of the hotel and the ceiling of another, making access difficult.

The hotel had previously attempted to fix the leaking pipe using a repair tape. This was ineffective as the space constraints meant that the tape could not be wrapped around the pipe with the stretch required to withhold the pressure.

As soon as the wastewater pipe had been put back into use, the crack in it began leaking into the roof space above the prestigious room.

SylWrap Solution

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty was used for sealing the hole in the pipe. Superfast Steel is specifically formulated for use with steel, iron and other ferrous metals.

Within 5-10 minutes of mixing by hand, the putty begins to harden and form a cohesive bond. After 1 hour, the pipe in question can be put back into service, enabling rapid repairs to be made.

Because of the size of the hole, it was decided to shape the putty into a disc away from the pipe before placing it over the crack.

The kneaded Superfast Steel disc was made slightly bigger than the hole in the pipe and attached to a strip of heavy polythene sheeting, supporting the putty as it was stretched over the hole.

Once the Superfast Steel disc was in place, the edges were pushed tightly down, forming a good seal between epoxy putty on the polythene sheeting and the pipe, plugging the crack.

The whole repair was overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Bandage. SylWrap HD is water activated and sets rock-hard in minutes. It was smoothed onto the pipe to provide and impact resistant layer of protection over the epoxy putty, reinforcing the repair and creating a permanent solution.

Outcome

Within an hour of the repair being completed, the room was able to reopen to the public. The hotel’s own staff carried out the entire application using only a SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit.

Such a quick and straightforward repair enabled the hotel to avoid the costly and time-consuming process of sourcing contractors to repair or replace the pipe, and the potential loss of earnings through having to close the affected room for a longer period of time.

Follow Up

Sylmasta have since supplied a number of hotel chains with the SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case, enabling them to carry out a permanent live leak pipe repair as soon as emergencies strike.

Each case contains enough pipe repair products to carry out up to six permanent repairs at a cheaper cost-per-repair than when buying individual kits.

The Contractor Case is easy-to-store. Hotels which keep one on-site have everything they needed to fix leaking and burst pipes. This negates the need to close rooms or facilities whilst equipment or a plumber is found, saving the hotel money and ensuring that guests are not inconvenienced.

All the products included in the Contractor Case are WRAS approved, meaning they are certified to British standards for use with drinking water. Although this London Hotel repair involved a wastewater pipe repair, a safe repair could have been carried out to a water supply pipes using the products involved.

Products Used

Superfast Steel
Fast working epoxy putty used to fill in holes and cracks on pipework

SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap sets rock hard to reinforce, protect and strengthen repairs

Standard Pipe Repair Kit
Superfast Steel and SylWrap HD can be purchased together in a Standard Pipe Repair Kit

Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Easy-to-store case with everything needed to make up to six emergency pipe repairs

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