A 900mm steel water main leaking from cracks around a flange in an underground chamber was thought too complex to repair by a Malaysia water company until a two-day site visit two by determined engineering team and a Sylmasta technician.

Site Underground chamber
Location Malaysia
Pipe Type 900mm steel water main
Repair Type Leak repair
Products Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty

Pipe Defect

Heavy corrosion had caused several large cracks to appear around a stub flange on the 900mm steel water main. The flange meant a repair clamp could not be fitted and there was no space around the main to wrap tape or bandages effectively.

There was also no visible means of isolating the main, so flow through the leaking section could not be reduced or turned off.

Replacing the damaged section would have meant excavating the chamber and shutting the main off for a prolonged period, something not considered a viable option by the water company.

Repairing the flange had therefore been considered impossible by the water company. It was left to leak unabated, save for a few cursory checks and pumping out water when flood levels became too high.

That was until a determined engineering team accompanied by a Sylmasta technician arrived on site and set about finding a way to repair the main or at the very least, cut the amount of water being lost.

Solution

Water was pumped from the flooded chamber so the pipe could be accessed. An engineer hammered a series of plastic plugs into the larger, noticeable cracks around the flange.

These plugs reduced the levels of water escaping the pipe, allowing a proper inspection to take place. It was noticed by the engineer that the pipe did in fact have a stopcock a little further along. They were able to reach it and isolate the leak area.

With flow now turned off, Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty was used to fill all visible cracks in the main. Numerous 114g Superfast Steel sticks were kneaded by hand and then pushed into holes in the pipe whilst soft.

Within 10 minutes, the putty hardened to seal the crack it had been applied to. Superfast Steel was also used to encompass the flange, permanently fixing in place the plastic plugs which had done such a good job of reducing the amount of lost water.

Because of the diameter of the pipe and the size of the leak area, it took over an hour to apply the necessary Superfast Steel. With flow isolated, it was difficult to see if all cracks in the water main had been found and sealed.

Even after pressure was restored, it was still hard to tell if the repair had been a success. The engineering team decided to return 24 hours later to check the effectiveness.

The inspection the following day revealed a success rate of around 80 percent. Any remaining small leak areas were then sealed with more Superfast Steel, worked into a sausage shape and pressed along the flange.

This left one large leak needing attention, where water was jetting from a gap between flange and pipe. To arrest this, the engineering team leader decided to bond a valve in place over the hole using Superfast Steel.

Any water trying to escape the main would now be channelled through the valve. The fitting was then tapped and closed, leaving the pipe completely sealed.

Outcome

Another inspection a day later revealed that the pipe was no longer leaking, denoting a successful repair of the ‘impossible’ flange

The water company were delighted having originally asked the engineers and Sylmasta to reduce water loss to an acceptable, manageable level which did not require regular pumping out of the chamber.

Follow Up

This was one of the more challenging repairs Sylmasta were involved in during their visit to see how SylWrap products can help ease a growing water crisis in Malaysia.

As a result of this and other live leak repairs made alongside engineering teams, the national supplier approved the SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case for use on Kuala Lumpur’s vast pipe network.

Each Contractor Case contains Superfast Steel, Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape and SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage to make up to six live leak repairs on pipes of all diameters and types, without the need for any formal training.

Maintenance teams carry a Case on their van, enabling them to fix leaks and bursts as soon as they are identified. The Case offers a lightweight, more versatile alternative to carrying around heavy, bulky repair clamps.

Products Used

Superfast Steel
Fast working epoxy putty used to fill cracks in pipes and for high-strength bonding

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