When public works departments need to connect old and new pipe with a watertight seal, HydraTech Engineered Products offers a time- and cost-efficient solution. Improvements to two major transportation corridors in a Southwest Nevada county recently presented this type of challenge.
The corridor improvements required the relocation of a section of 84-in. water main. The county’s public works department and the project’s consulting engineering firm agreed that an internal joint seal was the most cost-effective way to create a watertight connection between the new section of pipe and the existing water main. In selecting a product, the team was looking for a solution that was both ANSI/NSF 61-certified and rated for the maximum operating pressure of the county’s water system. The team concluded that HydraTech’s HydraTite internal joint seal was the answer.
Faster, Cheaper, Less Disruptive
The awarded contractor selected HydraTech to furnish and install the approved HydraTite seals.
HydraTite is used to seal pipes without the disruption of excavation. Often chosen for emergency repairs, it is a proven solution for joint connections that has been employed more than 30,000 times in North America alone. The system consists of a customized rubber seal held in place by stainless steel retaining bands. It utilizes a ribbed design to ensure a watertight seal, and it is recognized by the American Water Works Assn.’s M28. Each seal is made in the United States and is manufactured in one piece to match the diameter of the client’s pipe.
A Change in Pipe Profile Grade & Lateral Offsets
The job presented additional challenges in addition to the large diameter of the pipe. The relocation required a change in pipe profile grade, in combination with lateral offsets. Once these obstacles were addressed, two HydraTite internal joint seals were included in the scope of the project.
Installation was strategically scheduled to minimize the amount of time the water main would be out of service. The contractor was instructed to work as quickly as possible.
Each seal was installed using a systematic process. First, the rubber seal was laid into the joint between the new and existing pipe. Then, the stainless steel retaining band was locked into place with a hydraulic expander, utilizing the HydraTech wedge-lock system. Finally, a valve pressure tester was added and the soundness of the seal was checked. Both seals were found to be watertight.
One of the benefits of HydraTite is that experienced workers can install it quickly and easily. To the public works department’s delight, the Nevada crew installed both seals within 10 hours.
HydraTite seals require no excavation and often are used to cost-effectively rehabilitate older pipes with infiltration and inflow issues. In this case, the seal allowed a large water main to be moved and reused in a new location. Since pipes joined with these seals typically have 50-year service lives, moving the 84-in. water main and connecting it with HydraTite was an effective use of public funds.
