Top 3 Pipeline Rehabilitation Tools You Need

Increase your productivity with these handpicked pipeline rehabilitation tools
Top 3 Pipeline Rehabilitation Tools You Need
CentriPipe pipe lining system from AP/M PERMAFORM

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Pipe bursting and cured-in-place pipe lining are proven methods for rehabilitating aging and deteriorated pipes. Being cognizant of available pipe bursting, lining and piercing technologies can help you choose the most effective sewer rehabilitation tools. 

Crew members should be confident they’re going out on a job with quality tools to rehabilitate storm drains, sanitary sewers and pipelines quickly and efficiently — and safely. Pipeline rehabilitation technology has come a long way in the years since its development, and the equipment and methodologies have also evolved to meet the needs of aging infrastructure. 

Perhaps your municipality must repair and replace miles of deteriorated or undersized lines. If so, check out these pipeline rehabilitation systems and tools to improve efficiency and increase productivity. 

1. Pipe bursting tools

While open-cut was the method of choice for upsizing water and sewer systems, municipalities have recently embraced pipe bursting as a cost-effective and less invasive tool for sewer line construction and maintenance. Today, modern pipe bursting technology lets workers replace various pipe sizes with minimal disruptions to landscaping and other infrastructure. 

Before pipe bursting begins, you should confirm pipe construction material and condition, which is usually done with a CCTV inspection. Whether you’re bursting cast iron, concrete, asbestos cement, HDPE, PVC, ductile iron, Orangeburg or clay pipe, the success of each project owes as much to the design and preparation of the job as to the tools and technology. 

Check out these pipe bursting tools to enhance your pipeline rehabilitation program: 

  • The Model PD-33 pipe bursting machine from Pow-r Mole Sales is a pipe replacement system featuring a long 24-inch stroke. Its nonslip cylinder-activated jaws are designed to prevent cable damage, while developing 60,000 pounds of pulling force at a rate of 6 feet per minute. It offers a cost-effective alternative to open-cut by reducing excavation up to 85 percent.
  • The Model 7000 pipe bursting puller from Poweram is designed to replace existing utilities by pulling pipe splitting and/or bursting tools through the old pipe and pulling a new pipe into the same space. The new pipe can be the same size or larger than the old pipe.
  • The lightweight lateral pipe bursting machine from RODDIE Inc. slides apart into two components of 50 and 60 pounds that can be lowered and reassembled by hand in the pulling pit. In most cases this machine is powered and operated by a mini-excavator or bobcat tractor.
  • The UnderTaker from Spartan Tool replaces existing sewer laterals with new, seamless, high-flow high-density polyethylene pipe from 2 to 6 inches in diameter. It sets up quickly without any tools, and handles up to three 45-degree bends in the existing pipe. No component weighs over 70 pounds, so it’s easy to position. All is done with minimal disruption to the yard or business.
  • The Hi-Flow 13HP from TRIC Tools Inc. is a lightweight power pack geared to the lateral bursting market, with greatly increased flow (tool speed) at higher working pressure (tool power). Features include a Honda GX390 13 hp engine, maximum fluid flow of 4 gpm, a maximum hydraulic pressure of 5,000 psi and a 10-gallon hydraulic fluid reservoir.
  • The TT Technologies 3-ton Grundowinch hydrostatic constant-tension winch is suited for underground utility applications including pipe bursting, underground cable pulling, sliplining, pipe pulling and swage lining. It features protective cable storage and is available with an air-cooled diesel or gas engine, as well as an adjustable boom. 

2. CIPP

Although pipe bursting has gained interest in recent years, cured-in-place pipe lining remains a cost-effective, minimally invasive alternative to replacing failing infrastructure. 

Any CIPP rehabilitation program begins with a proper lining system, whether it involves epoxy coating, steam cure or bladder inversion. As part of a complete CIPP lining program, grout rehabilitation systems help restore the structural integrity of sewers, stop leaks and control groundwater intrusion. 

As CIPP lining becomes a viable option in more rehabilitation projects nationwide, more and more products are becoming available to streamline the process. Consider these lining systems to meet different cure time, material and run length requirements: 

  • The CentriPipe pipe lining system from AP/M PERMAFORM provides a cost-effective, no dig solution for structural lining of culverts using a bidirectional spincaster to centrifugally compact a precision liner at the best design thickness for the size, shape and conditions of deteriorated pipe. It inhibits rust and is highly resistant to abrasion.
  • AV-100 acrylamide grout from Avanti International is a chemically reactive gel with the same viscosity as water. It permeates anywhere water can travel with adjustable cure times from 5 seconds to plus or minus 10 hours. Used to rehabilitate and sustain sanitary collection systems, it eliminates infiltration in mainline joints, manholes, laterals and lateral connections.
  • AquaCure RP from Applied Felts Inc. combines fiberglass reinforcement with the company’s existing felt liner design and construction. It fully integrates and blends the properties of each, providing superior physical and mechanical properties while eliminating a learning curve because it installs just like the company’s nonreinforced liners.
  • The HydraTite internal pipe joint seal system from Cretex Specialty Products provides trenchless remediation for the repair of pipe joints. It eliminates infiltration and exfiltration with a mechanical rubber seal (EPDM or nitrile) spanning the joint and steel retaining bands. Each seal is custom-made to ensure compliance with project specifications.
  • DURAPOX epoxy resin from Formadrain can be relied on for 60 days open time. That much work time means no liners lost over time restraints or unforeseen difficulties. The crew can focus on their work without stress. Liners can be shipped pre-wetted.
  • HydraLiner composite inversion drums from HammerHead Trenchless Equipment are lightweight, high-capacity inversion drums that allow technicians to use steam, hot water or ambient temperature to cure with one drum. They withstand the higher temperatures needed for steam curing.
  • The Infrastructure Point Repair System from Infrastructure Repair Systems is a no-dig system to spot-repair any size pipe with no interruption of service. An epoxy-impregnated fiberglass and felt liner is wrapped and secured on a bladder, then inserted through the manhole and pulled to the leaking joint, crack or missing piece pipe section.
  • EcoCast from Inland Pipe Rehabilitation is an environmentally friendly, precision-applied, centrifugally cast structural lining system that combines the most advanced application equipment with a custom formulated geopolymer for consistent application and long-term performance. It will successfully restore concrete, brick or corrugated metal storm and sewer pipes, and noncircular infrastructure.
  • Inliner Technologies provides CIPP renewal solutions for deteriorating pipes and culverts ranging in diameter from 4 to 120 inches. Licensees are contracted by municipalities and industrial companies to renew storm, waste and process sewer piping that has been damaged by corrosion and/or structural deterioration.
  • The T-Liner from LMK Technologies is a one-piece homogenous main and lateral CIPP connection liner that is ASTM F2561 compliant. It has a uniform wall thickness and incorporates compressible lining material at the upstream and downstream ends, creating a smooth, tapered transition to the host pipe.
  • Test and Seal Grouting Packers from Logiball Inc. are used by specialty contractors and municipalities to stop infiltration at lateral connections and in lateral joints from the mainline sewer access to as far as 30 feet from the mainline. Chemical grout is pumped through the packer and forced out through existing pipe defects to seal and stabilize the soil around the injection points, preventing washout of backfill into the sewer and sealing off infiltration.
  • The flexible CIPP liner from MaxLiner USA can work in up to 90 degree bends and handle diameter changes from 4 to 6 inches. The company’s CIPP system has received code compliancy from the International Code Council (ICC-ES).
  • MTube CIPP lateral liner from MTC is flexible, easy to invert and ideal for rehabilitating gravity-fed pipelines. The butted ends of the felt are sewn together to produce a smooth, uniform pipe wall around the circumference of the tube. A heat-bonded coating is then extruded over the seam to create a permanent connection at the butt-end seam joint.
  • The Top Gun continuous inversion system from Perma-Liner Industries allows the CIPP liner tube to invert with low air pressure. The liner inverts continuously without the need for above-ground water column towers, tall scaffold or the need for excess water for inversion.
  • The Interfit CIP lateral sealing system from Quadex/Interfit rehabilitates and seals lateral connections to lined sewer mains, eliminating infiltration and root intrusion. Depending on lateral defects/bends, the system extends from 1 to 20 inches into the lateral, sealing three critical problem areas — the annular space between a main liner and the host pipe, the lateral connection and the first joint.
  • Quik Lining Systems is an advanced CIPP sewer lateral lining system that simplifies the process, giving the operator a lower cost per foot of lined pipe. It is lightweight, and a single operator can complete a job in about four hours. It gives crews the ability to install up to eight or more lines per day.
  • The Raven 405 Series from Raven Lining Systems provides long-term performance in harsh, damp wastewater environments. Its 100 percent solids, zero VOC polymers demonstrate superior adhesion, low porosity and high chemical and abrasion resistance.
  • DrainPlus Liners from Trelleborg Pipe Seals Milford Inc. are comprised of a polyester needle fleece with a TPU coating designed to overcome lateral pipes with multiple bends and pipe diameter transitions and reduced wall thickness when the liner covers a change in internal diameter.
  • The Controlled Water Pressure (CWP) Inversion Unit from TRY TEK Machine Works Inc. installs 6- to 18-inch CIPP liner from manhole to manhole. The liner remains constantly inflated from inversion through curing, eliminating host-pipe damage caused by multiple inflations. It can operate in places not accessible to high scaffolds or lift trucks. 

3. Piercing and pipe fusion tools

Pneumatic pipe piercing tools and pipe fusion tools streamline utility installation under existing landscapes and other structures. Pneumatic piercing tools help you power through a range of soil conditions and applications to create a compact hole for underground line installation with pipe bursting systems. 

Pipe fusion is the most commonly used method for joining two pieces of pipe together during pipeline rehabilitation, usually using a combination of heat and pressure. Fusion machines can fuse or weld different types and sizes of pipe. 

Check out these finishing tools to create a comprehensive pipeline rehabilitation program: 

  • The McElroy Manufacturing Super 28 is capable of fusing 2-inch IPS to 8-inch DIPS polyethylene pipe. The machine features a diesel-powered, 28-fusion carriage on a TracStar 412/618 chassis. The configuration allows contractors to have a diesel-powered fusion machine on job sites where gasoline is unavailable or not allowed.
  • The BigShot underground pneumatic piercing tool from Footage Tools Inc. can be run with a small portable air compressor that delivers up to 75 cfm and 110 psi. New service lines can be pulled in behind it during the bore, or by reversing the tool with the service line attached to the nose pin.
  • The Vermeer Hole Hammer pneumatic piercing tool features a moving-head design that provides full striking force of the piston to the head of the tool, pulverizing stones into the surrounding soil. The residual energy generated is used to help the tool body travel through the compacted bore path, resulting in greater accuracy and reduced tool deflection in tough soil conditions.

Regardless of the type of sewer maintenance job your crew faces, ensure you are prepared with the best pipeline rehabilitation tools and technology. For complete product listings and other pipeline rehabilitation tools, visit www.mswmag.com/editorial/2014/01/pipeline_rehabilitation_and_relining3.



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