An energy company reap the benefits of having equipped all their vans with SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Cases when a rapid response was required to a pinhole leak in a 50mm steel pipe, suspended in the ceiling cavity of a building as part of a district heating system.

Case Study Overview

Site District heating system
Location UK
Pipe Type Steel
Repair Type Live leak repair
Products Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

Pipe Defect

The district heating was operated by a company who specialise in installing and maintaining sustainable energy generation systems in public buildings, residential developments, factories and manufacturing sites.

A pinhole leak developed in a section of 50mm steel pipe, located where the district heating was suspended in the ceiling cavity of the building. Pressurised water was jetting out in several directions, causing substantial damage to surfaces and surrounding pipework within the cavity.

Flow could not be isolated as this would have involved shutting down heating for the entire building. A live leak repair was therefore necessary, involving lightweight materials which could be easily carried up and applied from the top of a ladder.

SylWrap Solution

Because of the importance of fully operational pipework to their systems, the energy company already had an established relationship with Sylmasta.

Each of the company’s vans carries a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case in the event of emergencies, enabling contractors to make up to six live leak repairs.

As soon as the problem was identified, a contractor was rushed to site. From the Contractor Case, Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was first used to successfully seal the leak.

Despite the minimal space to work in, Wrap & Seal was stretched by its maximum 300 percent around the pipe. It amalgamated to form a solid rubber band, containing pipe content and with temperature resistance to 260°C.

The entire section was then encapsulated with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes. Once cured, it reinforced the initial repair and strengthened the steel pipe from further breakages.

Outcome

Repairing the steel pipe in the district heating system took less than 30 minutes, during which time there were no interruptions to the heating supply to the building.

Seeing the damage caused by a small leak in a short space of time – followed by the ease and speed with which a repair could be made – showed the company first-hand the benefits of equipping their vans with Contractor Cases.

Had a pipe repair method not been so readily available, this could easily have turned into a major incident which forced the building to choose between shutting down the heating or suffering serious water damage.

Instead, the reputation of the energy company was enhanced by the swift manner in which they reacted to and repaired the problem.

Follow Up

The company have since used their Contractor Cases to make live leak repairs in district heating and other systems they operate, including pipes made from the semi-rigid polypropylene material aquatherm.

Once thought to be foolproof, it is now known that aquatherm can fail due to reasons including excessive pipe clamping, extreme vibrations, flow velocity, water pressure and chemistry, or the presence of copper ions.

There is also the danger posed when a section of aquatherm pipe has been repaired by inserting copper or iron pipe, leading to different coefficients of thermal expansion and severe cracks.

In the event of any failures in their aquatherm piping, the presence of Contractor Cases across the company’s fleet of vehicles means leaks and bursts can be attended to instantly, instead of suffering delays waiting for materials or parts to be delivered.

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-fusing repair tape seals live leaks with temperature resistance up to 260°C

SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap sets rock hard to reinforce repairs by creating a protective sleeve

Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Case containing products for up to six live leak repairs kept on vans for rapid response

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