Case Study: Repair of a Cracked 90-year-old 70mm Malleable Iron Water Supply Pipe

Helping towards a century – the SylWrap repair that kept a 90-year-old water supply line in operation

With replacement fittings of the required size and type no longer manufactured because of the age of a 90-year-old malleable iron water supply pipe, when the pipe became cracked a repair solution was needed to avoid digging out and replacing the entire line.

Case Study Data


Site
Domestic property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure pipe repair
Defect
Cracked 90-year-old malleable iron water supply pipe

Products Used


Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick
Fast working epoxy putty used to seal all holes in the pipe

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Repair area was overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Bandage for reinforcement and protection

SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit
Superfast Steel and SylWrap HD were provided together in the Standard Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF


Case Study Details


The 70mm malleable iron pipe connected a property with the public supply network. When the property owner was alerted to a potential leak, excavation revealed that an awkward-shaped large crack and several smaller holes had developed, through which water was now escaping.

Because the pipe was 90 years old, replacement fittings of the correct size and type were no longer manufactured. The crack and holes therefore had to either be repaired, or the entire section would need to be dug out and replaced with a new line at considerable expense.

Sylmasta recommended a SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit for the application. All products in the Standard Kit have WRAS approval, meaning they are certified as safe to use for the repair and maintenance of pipes carrying drinking water.

Pressure was turned off and the malleable iron pipe cleaned and dried as best it could be prior to the two-stage repair.

Holes in the pipe included a large, awkward-shaped crack

First, Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Stick was used to seal the pipe. Superfast Steel is a fast working putty in an easy-to-use stick format which makes permanent repairs to steel, iron and other ferrous metals.

For the smaller holes, the required amount of epoxy was cut from the stick and kneaded by hand. It was pushed into all visible holes in the pipe, where it hardened within five minutes to plug all leaks.

To seal the large crack, Superfast Steel was formed into a disc bigger than the area of the pipe the crack covered. This guaranteed that no part would be missed when sealing.

This disc was then stretched over the entire crack area. Once in position, the edges of the disc were pushed tightly down onto the pipe, forming a good seal with the surface.

A 90-year-old malleable iron water supply pipe is kept in operation thanks to a SylWrap Pipe Repair Kit
The completed repair prior to the pipe being re-burried

Once the putty had become firmer but not completely cured, the entire repaired section was tightly wrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage to compress the putty into any remaining gaps.

SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water activated resin which sets rock hard in minutes, providing an impact resistant protective layer around the pipe.

Once the application was completed, pressure was turned back on. The pipe had ceased leaking and could therefore be re-buried. The repair had cost less than £25 to complete, including delivery of the SylWrap Kit and the property owner described it as going “fantastically well.”

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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