Contractor chooses steel manhole risers for multiple projects

Problem: 

Founded in 1969, Herzog Contracting is a giant, with six divisions spread across rail, waste management and roadway construction and maintenance. In 2014, Herzog began implementing a roadway contracting innovation from another firm, the Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Riser from American Highway Products. “We’d been using cast iron risers exclusively to raise manholes to grade,” says Bryan Jones, vice president of project delivery in Herzog’s Heavy Highway Division. “They were effective in many ways, but inventory was a persistent challenge. We perform work for a lot of different municipalities, all with differently sized manholes, and it was difficult to keep every size of riser we may need in inventory.”

Solution: 

For Jones, the chief advantage of the risers was adjustability. They’re sturdy, flexible rings made of galvanized steel, are easy to set into original utility rims and the pivoted turnbuckle enables fast adjustment to securely fit variously sized manholes. “We first used AHP manhole risers for Wathena, Kansas. I ordered almost 100 risers for that project — we knew from the start they would be a great fit for our operations.”

Result: 

Since then, Herzog has installed over 1,000 Pivoted Turnbuckle Manhole Risers, keeps a year’s inventory on hand, and “We have not had any failures to date.” Summing up, Jones says, “The AHP risers are a great asset to our operations, and they’ve been incredible to work with over the years.” 888-272-2397; www.ahp1.com

---

Corrosion protection of new manholes

Problem: 

The fast-growing city of San Tan Valley, Arizona, built 57 new 48- and 60-inch manholes, averaging 10 feet deep. To meet the specified 50-year life span, the city required applying a corrosion-resistant polymer coating.

Solution: 

Manhole Coatings, a local contractor that has completed many lining projects in Arizona, was awarded the project. They decided to use NPR-5304, a high strength, corrosion-resistant sprayable epoxy manufactured by Neopoxy. This product has passed ASTM 1216, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, and Green Book tests. The MHC crew applied NPR-5304 epoxy at a thickness of 125 to 150 mils using plural component spray equipment.

Result: 

The project was completed successfully. The coating successfully passed the spark and adhesion tests, and the manholes were back in service promptly. Through the application of Neopoxy NPR-5304 Epoxy Resin, the life span of the manholes was extended by several decades. 510-782-1290; www.neopoxy.com