Be Prepared
When contractors carrying out upgrades at a Wastewater Treatment Works cut through a pressurised 450mm steel contaminated water pipe, a rapid live leak repair was required to prevent an environmental catastrophe.
Defect
The contractors mistakenly cut into the pipe believing it to be decommissioned for removal. Once it was breached, they realised it was
connected to all the waste treatment ponds.
The severity of the cuts resulted in large amounts of contaminated water escaping. Isolating the pipe would have involved the shutdown of the entire site. There was no feasible way to stop the flow other than a live leak repair.
Solution
The site was less than one hour from Sylmasta HQ. Sylmasta delivered Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape and SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage and stayed on site to provide technical assistance.
Multiple tapes sealed the high pressure leak, fusing into a solid rubber band over the breached pipe. The tape was overwrapped with the bandage, providing an impact resistant layer of protection.
Result
The repair was completed in one hour and for just £300. It prevented the shutdown of the facility, and stopped a serious environmental incident which could have left the treatment works with huge fines and a costly clean up.
Sylmasta have since recommended the treatment works take stock of a Pipe Repair Contractor Case, enabling the site to make up to six emergency repairs as soon as pipes are damaged in future.
Contact our sales team : sales@ipsflowsystems.com for more details.