A water utility company in Mexico discovered that a 600mm asbestos cement pipe buried underground was leaking from both ends of a sleeve, requiring a repair method flexible enough to be applied in a confined trench dug to access the problem area.

Case Study Overview

Site Pipeline
Location Mexico
Pipe Type 600mm asbestos cement
Repair Type No pressure sleeve repair
Products Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty, Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

Pipe Defect

Maintenance work had been taking place on a 500mm pipe when the water utility company noticed a failure in a buried 600mm asbestos cement parallel line.

The pipe was leaking from both ends of a sleeve. Replacing the section would have been difficult as the pipe passed under a building 10 metres away from the leak area.

To reach the asbestos cement pipe, a trench was dug with 500mm of room on one side and 1.7 metres the other.

There was minimal room between the pipe and the ground, meaning that any repair method had to be effective even when applied in confined space.

SylWrap Solution

Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty was used to plug the gapping between the sleeve and the surface of the pipe through which water was leaking.

The Putty was kneaded by hand and pushed into the gaps at both ends of the sleeve. After 10 minutes, it hardened to seal the spaces and prevent anymore fluid from escaping.

For reinforcement, each joint was then overwrapped using Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape. Wrap & Seal is made from self-amalgamating silicone which fuses to form a solid rubber band over leaks.

The Tape is most effective when stretched by the maximum 300 percent of its length. Despite the space constraints in the trench, this was possible with the pressure resistance of the repair being strengthened.

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was then used to encompass the entire sleeve. SylWrap HD is a water activated composite repair wrap which sets rock hard in minutes, providing an impact resistant layer of protection before the pipe was re-buried.

Outcome

The repair was a complete success. The water utility company were impressed with how straightforward the application was and the technical assistance provided.

This included adding additional Superfast Copper as part of the SYL-PRO-50-150 SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case supplied for the repair.

Follow Up

With the water utility company now investing in leak detection technology, the Contractor Case is the ideal product to take advantage of being able to rapidly identify leaks and bursts on their network.

It contains enough products to make up to six live leak pipe repairs and is easily stored on-site or on the van, allowing contractors to keep close to hand everything they need to fix problems as soon as they are discovered.

Products Used

Superfast Copper
Fast working epoxy putty used to fill and seal gaps on pipework in under 10 minutes

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-fusing silicone repair tape which creates a solid rubber band over leak areas

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

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

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