Pipe relining origins   

Just like any successful business in today’s world – innovation is a non-negotiable. Over the last couple of decades, breakthroughs in the science and engineering fields have resulted in advanced and environmentally-friendly pipe repair technologies that Nuflow is now renowned for. This technology has made it possible for broken pipes to be repaired from the inside, eliminating the need to dig up and completely replace the affected pipes.  

Nuflow’s pipe relining methods 

Pipe relining, or “trenchless repairs”, involves old pipes being left in place while new pipes made from tough, durable composite resin materials are formed inside or around the existing pipes. Mitigating the need to excavate, dig or destroy, trenchless repair strategies like cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) relining means more cost-effective and convenient solutions for broken pipes, resulting in significantly less environmental impacts.  

The CIPP relining process

CIPP relining is one of the most popular ways to repair or rehabilitate pipes without digging and replacing. Essentially, advanced composite resin materials are inserted into failing pipes to repair damage, improve flow and extend the life of the pipe. For pipes that need structural strength (i.e. beneath roads or driveways), a liner infused with the resin is pulled into place before being cured into a cement-like structure.  

For non-structural pipes like water pipes in ceilings or walls, the resin is blown into the pipe to cure, forming a new pipe lining that will keep it strong and functioning well for years.  

These structural and non-structural relining methods are suitable for pipes carrying drinking water, waste and storm water, chemical (trade) applications, and grain, feed or sludge (industrial) applications.

At Nuflow, we understand that not all pipes are the same, which is why our pipe relining methods are tailored to suit each unique repair. We take into consideration the type of pipe, the climate, other environmental conditions, the operational needs of the client, and the built structures or services in the immediate area.

We use CCTV camera equipment to locate the problem area and where future pipe repair problems are likely to occur, providing you with a full discovery of the state of your pipes. We then use a variety of methods like water jetting and specialised plumbing tools to ensure your pipe is cleared and cleaned quickly and safely. Once your pipes are prepped, they’re ready to be relined with one of our four relining solutions:

Blueline^®     

Our structural solution suited to non-pressure drainage applications like stormwater pipes, sewer pipes, trade waste pipes, and more. It’s super versatile, and allows for sectional relining of any pipe length. Learn more.

Ultraline^®     

Our latest offering is a strong and lightweight fibreglass liner with an epoxy resin that is cured by an ultraviolet light train. The result is faster fixes and less time on site. We are currently using this technology for short patches on pipes of up to 150mm diameter, but we hope to be doing much larger projects soon.

Greenline^®       

This is also a structural pipe restoration solution. It’s used for high pressure main pipes, asbestos cement, UPVC, copper pipes, steel pipes and potable water pipes. It complies to international standards for drinking water, with the ability to withstand long term pressure of up to 1800kpa. Learn more.

Sumoline^®  

Our strongest CIIP relining system. It’s used on non-pressurised, built infrastructure with critical load bearing capacity, like bore storm water and sewer pipes, road and rail infrastructure, box culverts, and manholes. It can cure underwater, and will not shrink. Learn more.

The benefits of pipe relining vs replacing

From fixing leaks and preventing tree root intrusion, to stopping lead and other contaminates from leaching into water systems – the list of benefits goes on.

Pipe relining has a number of great structural and functional advantages. It’s suitable for situations where pipes have junctions, bends and transitions in diameter, while also possessing a number of convenience and environmental benefits. This includes eliminating the need for excavation or destruction that can cause damages, saving you a lot of time and money as well as saving the surrounding environment from disruption.

Most impressively, the pipe relining process leaves behind a final pipe that independent tests have shown has a greater strength and flow rate than the original pipe, and any other materials that might have been used to replace it.     

Why you can rely on Nuflow relining 

We back our technology and our installers – that’s why our Nuflow relining products come with warranties of up to 50 years*. This tried and tested solution can be the difference between waiting weeks for your pipes to be fixed, versus mere days. So, if you’re looking for an efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to completely replacing your pipes, you know who to call.

Click here for more information on Nuflow’s pipe relining solutions or get in touch with your local team today.

The post How pipe relining works: no dig, no mess, no fuss appeared first on Nuflow.

Recently, a residential complex was having issues with leaking copper pipes in unit 25, and wanted a solution that wouldn’t be costly and involve jackhammering up all the pipes over several weeks. Luckily, Nuflow’s Redline was able to save the day and fix the leaking pipe.

The problem: a leak in the cold water line

Unit 25 was on two levels, with 7 water outlets on the bottom (4 cold, 3 hot), and 16 water outlets on the top level (9 cold, 7 hot). All of the copper pipes supplying water to these outlets were embedded in concrete. This layout can cause issues, as hot and cold water pipes expand at much faster rates than the concrete that surrounds them. Their natural expansion is restricted, causing pipes to crack and leak.

This is exactly what happened in Unit 25. There was a known leak in the cold water line that supplied water to the kitchen. Pipes set up like this can’t be replaced easily, and it can be extremely destructive when trying to access the leaking pipes in walls. Nuflow’s technicians knew they would have to find a way to work around this, and also find a solution for preventing the same issue with other pipelines.

The solution: Redline saves the day

The team got to work devising a plan of attack, and Nuflow’s Redline pipe relining was the clear way to go.

Redline is a structural relining solution that specialises in the restoration of pressurised plumbing systems. It works to prevent and eliminate leaks, preserve pipe life, and improve water flow. In this case, it would also minimise the risk of cracking against the concrete and solve an ongoing issue for good.

Plus, its application is a completely non-invasive process that would eliminate the need for Nuflow technicians to break down walls to access the point that needed fixing. They could simply use Nuflow’s Redline system to do a structural reline inside the 1/2” (15mm) pipe, fixing it better than new- and that’s exactly what they did.

The first step of the relining process is to ensure the internal pipe wall is clean and free of scale or residue so it’s ready to accept the redline resin. To clean the pipe, the team use high velocity air and shoot environmentally friendly nut husk or garnet as an abrasive to thoroughly prepare the pipe. The work was then done level by level, with the cold and hot water layouts done separately. The Redline epoxy was carefully measured, and applied one outlet at time. Once this was done, the outlets of the same temperature for layouts on each level were given air at the same time. This ensured the epoxy passed along the right piping and achieved an even application. The air connection was maintained for about 3.5hrs, until the epoxy had effectively set.

Each pipeline received a single coat, except for the leaking line which got a second. At the completion of the job, the damaged water pipe was repaired and fully sealed, with all the water outlets maintaining the same flow rate they had before the coating was applied.

Nuflow’s ongoing commitment

With Nuflow’s post installation monitoring, technicians noted that water flowed perfectly for three days, until an unknown blockage was located in a cold water line that fed to the ensuite.

Nuflow is committed to getting the job done right so there’s no added stress for clients, so we didn’t hesitate to get this problem solved. Our technician attempted to dislodge the blockage with hydrostatic pressure of 80 psi, but no flow past the blockage was achieved.

The next fix was the installation of PEX piping, which was run up a utilities duct from the lower level to the roof cavity, then across to a utilities duct within the ensuite. This proved successful and restored water flow to the vanity, shower and toilet of the ensuite.

Leaks plugged with no mess

Nuflow made sure this job was done right from start to finish with our redline relining solution. There was no invasion to any residents, which was a huge with for the building managers – and the strength of the waterlines was even better than when they started.

To learn more about Nuflow’s Redline solution, and our patented hybrid relining system and commercial plumbing solutions, get in touch with your local Nuflow.

The post Nuflow’s Redline saves pressurised plumbing in apartment complex appeared first on Nuflow.

There are many homes and buildings that helped build the nation and need to remain as close to the original building as possible. Heritage listing restorations can be challenging but with Nuflow’s technology, it has been successfully used across Australia to repair corroded building pipes, radiators, and fire services lines.

Historic or heritage-listed buildings are often a centrepiece of a town or suburb, they create character and distinctiveness to a community. These buildings can often have a very positive influence on many aspects of the way a community develops. People are proud of their local history and value these buildings, but they often don’t realise how important a building is to them until it’s threatened or damaged.

These historically significant buildings need investment into maintenance and restoration to keep them operational and of value to the community, so what happens when plumbing and drainage systems fail? Do you just break parts of the building or dig up ground, driveways, and paths to find and fix the issue?

The answer must be NO, avoid any damage at all costs.

New technologies that have emerged to support utilities and government maintain large infrastructure are the solution needed. These technologies have been proven to be of benefit to Historic buildings too. Here isone of our pipe relining jobs which had to be in accordance with heritage guidelines: WARMING OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE.

Pipe relining emerged as a way to repair or rehabilitate existing sewer and stormwater systems without the destruction to buildings or surrounding grounds and gardens (which can often also be historically listed).

Areas where heritage is understood and valued tend to be better looked after and regarded by the community. These buildings help foster pride and civic responsibility which support better communities, attract tourism and external investment. These heritage places not only reveal the story of Australia’s past; they safeguard and enrich our present and future. Retaining our limited heritage resources is green, sustainable, an investment and community building. Owners, businesses, residents and visitors all benefit as a result.

WHICH PIPE RELINING PRODUCTS SUIT HERITAGE BUILDINGS

For over 15 years Nuflow pipe relining systems have been manufactured, installed, and guaranteed locally, which means end-to-end solutions, faster response times and easy resolution of issues. Nuflow systems are designed to be fit for purpose and made in Australia to suit our harsh conditions.

When it comes to protecting these important heritage-listed buildings using pipe relining systems should always be the first choice of building managers, choosing a locally made and installed system like Nuflow should be just as important.

Nuflow’s most popular products for heritage-listed buildings are the Blueline technology and Redline relining product.

BLUELINE TECHNOLOGY

Blueline is a pipe relining product which repairs and rehabilitates pipes by creating a pipe within a pipe. The epoxy liner installed bonds to the host pipe’s interior wall. It seals and protects the system from further deterioration, dramatically extending the life of the piping system. Is perfect for drainage, sewage and stormwater systems, pool pipes and high wear or impact systems.

REDLINE TECHNOLOGY

Nuflow’s non-structural epoxy resin relining solution for pressurised metal pipe networks such as those in fire suppressant or drinking water systems and radiators. It can be installed without disruption to walls or buildings and prevents contaminants and micro-organisms (lead etc.) from leaching into pipe water. The Redline technology has excellent curing capacity, meaning little disruption to users, operations or the surrounding environment.

Nuflow is able to support heritage-listed buildings in unique relining repair solutions to infrastructure. If you are interested in more information on rehabilitating heritage building pipes, radiators, and fire services lines, contact Nuflow for more information.

The post New Technology Protecting Our Heritage Listed Buildings appeared first on Nuflow.

Nuflow’s successful pipe repair work to a fire protection system at a local shopping centre was recently published in The Cairns Post.

The large-scale job at Lendlease’s Cairns Central Shopping Centre involved relining more than 2500m of pipe for a fire hydrant upgrade and rehabilitation of its fire hydrant mains system.

The post Upgrade to Fire Protection System Big Success At Cairns Central Shopping Centre appeared first on Nuflow.

In this article we will explain the difference between some of the leading CIPP relining products available in Australia today, namely:

• Blueline technology
• Greenline pipe relining
• Redline technology.

Choosing the pipe relining alternative that’s right for you

Decisions, decisions, decisions!! There you were, settling in for an afternoon in front of the footy when the kids run up the hall screaming the toilet bowl’s full to the brim. You jump onto Google for some help, but after looking over the first six or seven sites your head’s beginning to spin.

Pipe relining, drain clearing and plumbing are fairly competitive industries. That’s why an internet search on things like how to fix broken sewer pipes will throw up a long, confusing list of subjective commentary. Most of this advice is generated by those operating commercially in the trade, which makes singling out balanced and genuinely useful information a challenge.

Understandably, most throw their support behind the methods and products their own company offers and ignore or (even worse) denigrate other alternatives. But thankfully there are also some which provide useful and reasonably factual information for those wondering which pipe relining alternative is best for them.

Ways of repairing pipes

When it comes to repairing pipes the first consideration is whether you want:

• a ‘trenchless’ repair (no excavation or digging), or
• an excavation (traditional methods involving digging).

This will obviously depend on your site, your budget and the value of any built structures or landscaping near the site of the break. In open, easily accessible, soft soil where the cause (and extent) of pipe damage is certain, excavation may be the better option (particularly if you are willing to do some of the digging yourself).

If you do decide on excavation and replacement of pipes, your local plumber may be the best person for the job. If it’s a really simple fix, you might even want to try tackling the job on your own. This is not permitted in relation to many wastes and plumbing systems however because of health risks to yourself as well as the general community.

If the exact location, extent and cause of damage are not certain or there are other considerations like site stability, the need for concrete cutting, demolition, or a preference for not disturbing gardens or lifestyle, a trenchless method of repair would be more suitable. For more detailed information on this, we’ve provided a related article explaining the benefits of trenchless pipe repairs.

But that’s nowhere near the end of the ball game. From here you have to decide on the type of trenchless repair that will work best for you, and even then, which method of installation and which specific relining product will do the job.

TRENCHLESS PIPE REPAIRS

There are three main ways of addressing damaged or degraded pipes without the need to dig a trench. They are:

• PIPE RELINING
• PIPE BURSTING
• PIPE RAMMING

Pipe bursting and pipe ramming are more commonly used in major infrastructure projects where there are very big budgets and the capacity to use specialised, heavy machinery. With pipe bursting the old, damaged pipe is basically shattered with a drilling head. The head also drags a new pipe along behind it to be situated in the cavity the shattered pipe once occupied. The remnants of the old pipe usually remain in the soil. There are difficulties, however, if there are joins and junctions which have to be connected, or if there are significant transitions (changes) in the old pipeline’s original diameter.

Pipe ramming also involves the insertion of a new pipe, however, it is usually rammed into the soil alongside or above the existing pipe. The old pipe is disconnected but remains in place, whilst the new pipe takes over service delivery.

Neither of these options actually rehabilitates the damaged pipe and both are costly, meaning pipe relining is the most commonly used method in most situations.

PIPE RELINING

And you guessed it, even once we’ve whittled things down to just relining, there are a few more choices still to make. Essentially, pipe relining involves creating or inserting a brand new pipe within an old, damaged one where it sits in the ground. There is usually no excavation involved at all. This means lower overall cost, faster repairs and no destruction or reinstatement costs for buildings, floors, walls, driveways, gardens or other assets or services located above or near the damaged pipe. Believe it or not, there are four ways this can be done:

• Cured in place pipe (CIPP) relining using composite resins to coat the damaged areas of pipe
• Slip lining where a new, smaller pipe is inserted into the old one
• Fold-and-form lining where a liner is folded and inserted into a pipe before heat is used to re-form it to fit the shape of the old pipe
• Spiral wound lining where a new pipe is mechanically wound into an old one.

Again, slip lining, fold-and-form lining and spiral wound lining methods are most commonly used in major development constructions, while the CIPP method is more popular with domestic and smaller commercial or municipal pipe repair projects.

CURED IN PLACE (CIPP) PIPE RELINING

The cured in place method (CIPP) uses advanced composite resins to seal over damaged areas of the pipe. But just like the box of steak knives being sold on the morning chat show, just wait”¦ there are a few more decisions still to be made.

Essentially, there are three methods of CIPP installation:

• Pull in place where a synthetic liner soaked in a two-part epoxy resin is pulled into place over the damaged area of pipe using ropes fed through existing access points. The liner is then cured to form a rock hard new pipe inside the old.
• Inversion where a synthetic liner (again soaked in resin) is essentially blown (inverted) into the pipe to form a new lining.
• Spray lining (pipe coating).

For non-structural pipes (like fire sprinkler systems) the resin compound will be sprayed into the pipe to coat the interior (spray lining). But if a structural repair is needed (i.e., in sewer pipes under buildings etc.) a synthetic liner will be impregnated with the resin and cured to set rock hard over the damaged areas of pipe (pull in place or inversion methods).

Both the inversion and the pull-in-place methods use this resin-soaked liner concept, but the methods differ in the way the sleeve is placed within the pipe and work best in different situations. The inversion method can be very quick and cost-effective over very long, continuous runs of pipe without bends, transitions in pipe diameter or junctions. It has a heavier footprint, however, requiring machinery to generate energy to invert the sleeve.

Over smaller areas of damage (up to about 50 metres in length) the pull in-place method is usually preferred. This method can also accommodate areas of pipe where there are junctions, joins, bends, transitions and pipes made of different materials because liners can be custom made to suit the configuration of the original pipe.

Pull in place cipp relining for plumbing pipes

So for most residential or small commercial trenchless pipe repair and rehabilitation projects, the CIPP pull-in-place method is the preferred option. With this method, the new pipe (once cured) is even stronger than the original. And because it is joint-less, it is resistant to future invasion by tree roots and able to withstand heavy loads.

There are various types of resins available today, some of which are capable of lining pipes used for drinking water, high impact materials (rubbish chutes), trade waste and high-temperature chemicals. There are also resins that cure underwater, and others designed to line heavy load-bearing pipes (under bridges etc.).

Choosing the right cipp relining product for you

Finally, we come to the choice of the actual relining product. Nuflow is the only fully Australian-owned pipe relining company. They have in-house chemists and engineers who design a range of resins to suit different New Zealand and Australasian conditions. This means the products are locally designed, manufactured, delivered and installed; all of which makes for faster, more efficient and hassle-free pipelining.

Some of the most popular products are their Blueline technology, the Greenline range and a Redline relining product.

Blueline technology

BLUELINE is Nuflow’s structural relining solution for drainage, sewage and stormwater systems, oil, marine and pool pipes and high wear or impact systems. The staple fibre blend of polyester and/or polypropylene in the liner has inbuilt flexibility and high elongation properties that allow engineers to specify mechanical and hydraulic criteria to minimise installation damage and suit a range of tough Australian conditions. The liner is pulled into place using existing access points and quick-cured using an abrasion and impact-resistant, two-part epoxy resin.

This means projects can be completed quickly, safely and economically with minimal disruption to operations, users or the environment. Coming with a product warranty of up to 50 years, relined pipes have significantly increased structural integrity and higher crush and burst strengths than AC and UPVC pipes. This makes them resistant to future invasion by tree roots, corrosion or other processes of degradation.

Greenline pipe relining

GREENLINE is also a structural relining solution but it can be used for high-pressure and potable (drinking) water pipes. It’s the most versatile potable-approved lining system in the world and has excellent curing capacities. This again means that pipe function is restored more quickly and projects are completed efficiently, safely and economically with minimal disruption to access, operations or the environment. Made from a new generation of nonwoven, staple fibre geotextiles and cured in place using a hybrid epoxy resin (safe for use in drinking-water applications) Greenline also comes with up to 50 years’ product warranty.

Redline technology

REDLINE is Nuflow’s non-structural epoxy resin relining solution for pressurised metal pipe networks such as those in fire suppressant or drinking water systems. It can be installed without disruption to walls or buildings and prevents contaminants and micro-organisms (lead, legionella, etc.) from leaching into pipe water. The resin is blown into place using existing access points and cured within the pipe. It takes a fraction of the time it would take to replace pipes, making it an economical and efficient alternative. REDLINE is an epoxy resin lining that protects, restores and extends the operating life of pipes and prevents wear on metal surfaces such as chutes, flanges, elbows and launders. It is suitable for hot and cold potable water, greywater, compressed air, HVAC and fire suppression systems and conduit piping, and it can withstand the psi pressure of the host pipe. The Redline technology has excellent curing capacity, meaning little disruption to users, operations or the surrounding environment.

Nuflow also has products that can cure underwater (meaning services do not need to be disconnected during repairs) and a Sumoline range which has extra strength for applications under bridges, in culverts and for manholes.

If you’d like advice on which relining product is best for you, you can contact a team member here.

The post Which Pipe Relining is Best For Your Pipes? appeared first on Nuflow.

With construction of the building completed in early 1927, this icon was the seat of the parliament of Australia for over 60 years from 1927 to 1988. It has seen the cultural landscape of Australia and her people change and the wall mounted heaters have kept many world leaders and dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, General Douglas MacArthur, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Lyndon Johnston warm throughout their visits.

Today Old Parliament House is a National and Commonwealth heritage listed building. It is home to the Museum of Australian Democracy a museum that shares the story of Australia’s democracy, the history and heritage of the building. Maintaining the originality of this architecturally designed structure and its operational infrastructure, including the radiator heaters, is of national importance and a high priority.

At the ripe age of 93 years old, this heritage listed icon has had its share of issues over the years for its maintenance team, but the recent issue with its radiator heaters had them bewildered.

An issue with the original wall mounted heaters

The hot water radiator heating system gently warmed Old Parliament House by heating water in a central boiler. It is then sent through the building via pipelines and delivered into radiators, which use convection and radiation to warm the air. This water passes in the wall mounted heaters via one pipe and travels out another pipe. It then returns to the boiler to be reheated and redistributed.

A substantial investment had been made into upgrading the old water radiator heater system in the building which included the original boiler unit. When the facility managers first started to find leaks from the nearly 100-year-old water filled radiators they thought it nearly impossible to keep the original heating system running. The minerals in the water passing through over the years, created sludge and corrosion, causing the radiators to leak. Attempts were made by local radiator repair tradesman to solder or braze the radiator to fix the issue but a more permanent solution was required if they were to maintain this classic heating system.

Finding a solution for the Radiator Heaters

By chance, an Old Parliament House facility manager was attending a conference and exhibition when they stopped at the Nuflow pipe repair display. It was here they discovered their technology that had been successfully used across Australia to repair corroded pipes. The Redline coating product was developed to be used on US Navy fleets of submarines. Area Manager Matt Bell explained that “this epoxy system was used to coat the inside of the ship’s water intake pipes that were severely corroding due to the nature of salt water on metal pipes. The epoxy coating helped extend the life of the host pipe dramatically”.

Redline is now used all across Australia particularly in potable water and pressurised fire service line applications. Local research and development at Nuflow has seen improvements to the patented epoxy coating that has propelled them to become an industry leader in this highly technical field.

Nuflow were invited to Old Parliament House to inspect the radiator heaters and see if the technology was able to be adapted to something other than a round pipe. Nuflow Managing Director Ed Ahern, visited the site and upon inspection of the units, offered to do a pilot job on one radiator to see how well the Redline system could work on their wall mounted heaters. It was a hard offer to refuse, with radiator repair options exhausted and Ed offering to do the pilot trial free of charge.

A successful method for radiator repairs

Upon receiving the radiator at their factory, Nuflow’s research and development team successfully adjusted the technique and product to coat and repair the radiator heater. The Redline process followed a proprietary methodology that ensured the radiator was cleaned of internal rust and coated twice with the advanced Redline epoxy formulation. The coating ensures the original metal surface will never come in contact with water again and ultimately the corrosion will not return and destroy the heritage listed building’s radiator.

Engineer’s at Old Parliament House cut open the pilot radiator to expose a cross section of the unit to see if the coating was acceptable. Happy with the result, they engaged Nuflow to get an additional 59 radiators repaired with the Redline relining system.

Nuflow technicians have successfully relined the additional units and returned them to be reinstalled in their original locations within the heritage listed building. The initial radiator first relined, is displayed within the museum showcasing Nuflow’s innovative repair method.

This successful relining of the radiator heaters has helped to maintain one of Australia’s historically significant buildings and finding solutions outside the box in a congruent partnership has achieved innovative opportunities and results.

Nuflow are able to support heritage engineers and facility managers in unique relining repair solutions to infrastructure. Contact them today for more information.

The post A unique repair for Old Parliament House’s radiator heaters appeared first on Nuflow.

The client

AMP Capitol Building

Office and Industrial

Walker Street, North Sydney NSW

The pipe problem

A build-up of scale and rust corrosion in 150mm galvanised steel pipes had caused the building to fail a pressure test on its fire sprinkler system.

The solution

• Pipe Repair – Reline over 90 metres of galvanised steel pipes with Redline
• 4 x 1050 CFM generators to speed cleaning and relining processes
• 1,000 litres of diesel
• Large team to get the job delivered on time.

Time taken to resolve the issue

Three days.

Disruption to services, lifestyle, functionality

None.

Cost saving over replacing pipes

Approximately $800,000.

Other benefits

• No disruption to other building tenants
• No environmental impact
• No workplace health and safety issues
• Good water pressure in relined pipes
• Peace of mind for term of the warranty (50 years) which is longer than a new pipe replacement would have offered.

AMP Capitol decides relining with Nuflow makes economic sense

Few images are more chilling than those of people trapped in a fire in a high-rise building. Yet for the millions of people around the world who live in apartment blocks, sleep in towering hotels or work in city skyscrapers every day, that nightmare could easily become a reality if it weren’t for the fire alarm, emergency warning and sprinkler systems that traverse the ceilings and walls.

Installation and monitoring standards for those systems in Australia are very high, meaning very few incidents have occurred, but maintaining such stringent levels of protection doesn’t come cheap, and often leaves building owners and managers struggling financially.

Fire service inspection

When the fire sprinkler system at the AMP Capitol office block at North Sydney failed its pressure test because of build-ups of rust and scale in 150mm galvanised steel pipes, the owner gave the building managers verbal approval to remove and replace them.

But when the estimate came back at around $1million, they quickly changed their mind.

Not only was the price tag significantly higher than they’d expected, they’d been told the job of doing a full removal and replacement of the pipes in the 21-storey structure would take two months. This would require that the building be vacated for the entire time.

This would mean disruption of AMP Capitol’s own operations as well as the operations of the many other tenants and businesses in the building. Tenants would have to either be relocated or shut down for the two months. Meaning loss of rental income as well as a range of potential compensation claims.

Nulfow’s Franchise Support Manager, Matt Bell, said it was starting to look like a bit of nightmare for the owners.

“Being told they’d have to find a million dollars out of the blue was bad enough, but with no working fire system you can’t have people in any part of the building, so a staged replacement wasn’t even an option,” he said.

“They decided it was neither logical nor feasible to replace the corroded pipes, and asked building management to find an alternative.

“Someone from the fire inspection and management team had heard about pipe relining technology that could cope with high pressure water applications so they started searching the internet to find out whether anyone in Australia could do it.”

The SOS call came through to Nuflow’s national office in Queensland and once they’d discussed their issues over the phone, an inspection time for a quote was organised.

Remarkably, that quote came in at less than a quarter of the cost of replacing the pipes.

“We told them we could save them around $800,000,” said Bell.

“Of course they were pretty happy, especially when we told them we could do it without any disruption to operations at all, but they still needed approval from AMP because they’d be the ones footing the bill.”

He said Nuflow’s unique product capabilities meant they were really the only company with a viable answer.

“AMP is known for being careful with money and it took them a bit over a year and a half to give us the go-ahead.

“I’ve got no doubt they would have checked out everything else available in that time, both here and overseas, but in the end they must have realised ours was simply the best option.”

The pipe relining plan

With tenants wanting business-as-usual, the Nuflow team established a schedule of works that would start after hours on the Friday and be done by the time workers returned on Monday morning.

The team organised the necessary council and traffic management fees and approvals to set up equipment on the streets and hired additional equipment to speed up installation and curing times.

“We arranged to have four extremely powerful compressors on hand, each one about the size of a 3-tonne truck,” Matt Bell said.

“They were 1050 CFM generators and they were so large we couldn’t get them into the basement of the building so we utilised space around the parking lot and on the edge of the street.

“We came in and started all the prep work on the Friday afternoon and on the Saturday we started cleaning the pipes.”

With very small pipes such as those used in fire systems, the pipes are cleaned by injecting an aggregate of very small aluminium filings into the pipe and blowing them through at speed with compressed air.

A filtration system on the other end of the pipe then captures all the filings, dust and organic debris for safe disposal, ensuring zero environmental impact.

“Once they’re all completely cleared we heat the pipes to make sure they’re at the perfect temperature to receive the resin,” he said.

“We used our non-structural Redline product, because it’s strong enough to handle high-pressure pipes and is also approved for drinking (potable) water.

“We started our first coat of Redline on the Saturday afternoon and went through until we’d lined the pipes on the whole 21 floors including the two basement levels.

“It’s a very large building so we had a big team and everyone worked incredibly hard, because we knew we had to get that first coat in before we knocked off, otherwise it wouldn’t have cured in time.”

Bell said that whilst the Redline was touch dry in two hours, a good 12-hour cure time was needed to make sure the lining was rock hard and fully bonded to the host pipe.

Sunday saw the second coat go on and was left to cure overnight. On the Monday morning the team completed the all-important flow and pressure tests on the lines and packed up their gear as workers began returning to the building, unaware of the major restoration that had taken place in the hidden network of pipes keeping them safe.

Bell said it was a win-win for everyone.

“So many people don’t know what we can do and people left, right and centre are getting ripped off thinking their only option is to put in new pipes,” he said..

“Not only did we save these clients hundreds of thousands of dollars on the replacement quote and the hassles of 2 months’ worth of worker relocation, but we also guaranteed the job for 50 years.

“That means they’ve got peace of mind for 50 years, whereas if they’d re-plumbed it, they’d only be able to expect the usual 25 years before the same thing happened again.

“They were incredibly happy; not only with the cost savings but with the fact that we delivered everything on time and exactly to plan.”

Saving building managers thousands of dollars by relining steel pipes

According to Bell, the problem with fire services is that the pipes have to be steel because of their ability to remain intact for longer periods of intense heat.

“They have to use steel pipes because copper or plastic ones would melt too quickly in a fire, meaning water couldn’t reach the hot spots,” he said.

“But of course steel pipes corrode more quickly.

“Even to this day, brand new buildings are having steel pipes installed but the problem is that they start corroding from the inside pretty much straight away, and with water pipes it happens more quickly because they’re constantly submerged in water.

“The issue is even worse for fire systems because the water doesn’t keep moving like it does for other water pipes, it’s just stagnant ““ so if the pipe hasn’t been lined the water just sits there and corrodes it.”

He says some multi-storey buildings, such as hotels, manage the corrosion issue by replacing all the pipes (sewer, water, fire service and air conditioning) whenever they’re doing small refurbishments, but even then, the cost usually works out higher than what relining them would have been.

“Basically a lot of building managers just don’t realise what we can do,” he said.

“I mean, imagine if that was your building and you spent a million dollars on new pipes and then found out your problems could have been solved more easily and more permanently, and at a saving of $800,000.

The post Million dollar pipe problem that could have cost lives (Case Study) appeared first on Nuflow.

THE CLIENT

Atlas Copco, Distribution Centre.

Blacktown, Sydney.

THE PROBLEM

Corrosion and pitting were found in the copper fire main pipe beneath a 150mm to 200 mm-thick concrete slab in the busy delivery and dispatch area of the centre.

Leaks were appearing on the slab and there was increased risk of ongoing leakage or rupture if this problem was not addressed.

Tenants were threatening that compensation would be sought if there was any disruption to the centre’s ability to operate.

THE SOLUTION

Nuflow pipe repair – relined 440 metres of 100mm copper pipe with their Redline epoxyto ensure the ongoing viability of the system.

TIME TAKEN TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE

Four days.

DISRUPTION TO SERVICES, LIFESTYLE, FUNCTIONALITY

None.

No excavation was required, no rubbish to be removed, and work in the high-traffic areas of the facility were completed over the weekend, when the facility was not in use.

COST SAVING OVER DIGGING AND REPLACING

Estimated $350,000.

OTHER BENEFITS

• good relations were maintained between the building’s owner, the facility managers and the tenants
• no loss of productivity or income
• no environmental impact or pollution caused as a result of concrete cutting etc.
• Redline is fully approved for high-pressure and potable water pipes, meaning the water pressure and efficiency of the fire service was maintained
• flow rate in the relined pipes was improved.

A FACILITY MANAGER WITH A BURNING HEADACHE

Ensuring fire protection systems are in good working order is an important area of responsibility for facility managers, but when the often-extensive network of pipes supplying those systems with water start to fail, rectification can be a real headache.
Supply pipes are often difficult to reach; hidden in ceilings, behind walls, under concrete drives and beneath buildings, so in most cases laying new pipes is impractical; not only because of the significant financial cost involved, but also because of the disruption and inconvenience it causes for tenants, user groups and clients.

So when the facility manager at a major commercial distribution centre in Blacktown was told hundreds of metres of pipes, all buried beneath the thick, concrete concourse their tenants relied on each day to function, had reached end of life, they knew they had trouble.

A SMALL POOL OF WATER THAT SPELLED BIG TROUBLE

According to their website, Atlas Copco is a global enterprise leading the way in the supply of industrial productivity solutions. From “state of the art” distribution centres throughout the world, they provide spare parts, heavy machinery and pretty much every type of tool or piece of equipment needed to keep industry functioning.
And with a business reputation founded on the promise of enhancing the availability, speed of delivery and reliability of products, it was no laughing matter when they were told the building they leased for their busy Sydney distribution centre would need to shut down indefinitely for urgent repairs to leaking water pipes in the fire protection system.

Matt Bell, Franchise Manager from Nuflow Technologies, said the trouble first appeared as just a small pool of water that seemed to be coming from beneath the concrete driveway.

“The facility managers had called their maintenance plumber to the premises a few times over previous months because of tiny little leaks around the slab,” Bell said.

“He’d sorted the earlier ones out, hoping they were just a one-off, but when more leaks started to appear he realised something must have been wrong with the pipe system.”

They discovered the issue was corrosion and breakdown in the hundreds of metres of fire protection piping that ran beneath the thick concrete slab used as a roadway every day by the thousands of Atlas Copco trucks delivering and picking up parts from the facility.

The below-ground copper pipes had been laid in somewhat of a ring around the storage facility, obviously to protect the inventory within. But that also meant most of them sat directly underneath the main delivery and dispatch area, which at some point had been fully concreted to improve the efficiency of deliveries. The pipes effectively ran in a straight line for the full length of the delivery area, between where the trucks parked for un/loading and the storage bays housing the parts and equipment they needed to access.

WHY LAYING NEW PIPES WASN’T AN OPTION

Knowing how quickly an uncontrolled fire at the facility could put lives and productivity at risk, the plumber was asked to give a quote for laying new pipes, but when that price came back, the owners were not impressed.

“Not only was there the cost of replacing the 440 metres of 100mm copper pipe, there was the cost of exposing the pipes so they could remove them, and that meant cutting through a couple of hundred metres of reinforced concrete about 8 inches thick,” Bell said.

“Add to that the labour for the whole thing, plus the enormous cost of re-laying all that concrete once the new pipes had been installed, and disposing of all the waste, and you can see why the estimate for replacement came in at around $650,000.”
However, Bell said cost was only part of the equation.

“But it was the shutdown time that was the deciding factor for the facility managers here,” he said.

“The price was bad enough, but when they learned the site would have to be closed while the excavation and re-lay took place which could run into weeks – they were terribly concerned.

“The centre is set out so that the big semi-trailers and B doubles drive into one driveway, go to the end and turn around and then head back to stop at the relevant bay while the forklifts drive in and out of the bay importing or exporting the parts to or from the truck.

“Where the pipes ran, they would have had to excavate a trench about half a meter wide and a meter and a half deep, and it would have run across the entrances to the full length of storage bays, so the forklifts simply couldn’t have operated safely.”

And with a thousand truck movements each day and Atlas Copco’s reputation (and hence the distribution centre’s operations) relying on fast and frequent load turnarounds, if there was going to be any lost productivity, someone was going to be paying the price.

“And the tenants made it very clear that, that someone wasn’t going to be them,” he said.

“Atlas Copco advised they’d be seeking compensation for any down time at all, which meant if the facility managers decided to excavate and replace the pipes, they would also be racking up a hefty compensation bill that could easily have run into triple figures.”

FINDING A PIPE REPAIR ALTERNATIVE

Faced with this long list of negative consequences of pipe replacement, the managers were desperate, and turned to the plumbing contractor for advice. He told them about information he’d seen on recent developments in pipe relining technologies using composite resin compounds. They asked him to look into it and after some initial research he contacted Nuflow to arrange a site inspection and quote.

At that visit, CCTV pipe inspection camera footage revealed significant pitting and corrosion throughout the system. This rose concerns that the pipe could continue to have small leaks around the site indefinitely and lead to a catastrophic failure of the pipe, which would result in flooding, expensive emergency plumbing repairs, damage to machinery and stock on site.

PIPE RELINING WAS THE BEST PIPE REPAIR OPTION

Bell said he knew straight away that Nuflow’s Redline relining products could easily seal the damage, extend the life of the pipes and ensure they operated at the pressure required if needed to fight a fire.

But importantly he also knew that relining really was the best and most cost-effective repair strategy all round, given the limitations they were dealing with at the site.

“Basically we gave them all the answers they were hoping for,” he said.

“Our price came in significantly cheaper than what new pipes were going to cost them, our Redline pipe repair products were fully approved for high pressure fire system and potable water pipes, and importantly, we could get the job done without them losing a single day of production.

“To say they were happy would be an understatement, but they were very clear that we would only have a very strict window of time in which the job could be done, and that if we couldn’t deliver we’d be liable for costs.

“Together, we worked out a plan that enabled us to do all we needed to do in the high-traffic dispatch and delivery area over the weekend when the place didn’t operate, and then the areas out the back where vehicles didn’t go on the Monday and Tuesday.”

CREATING HAPPY CLIENTS THROUGH PIPE RELINING

With time being of the essence, the Nuflow team set about ensuring the equipment, materials and staff needed were all on hand.

“We always put a lot of effort into our planning and preparation to make sure we get things right on the day,” Bell said.

“On the Saturday we had a team come in and start cleaning the pipes and by Monday morning when the trucks started rolling in we’d finished all the high-traffic areas and were already working out the back where we didn’t impact their flow.

“It went like clockwork and they were very impressed.

“

So impressed, Bell said, that the plumber who’d contacted them was now considering adding a Nuflow installation franchise to his own business model.

“He watched the whole operation and saw how incredibly well our processes and products worked,” he said.

“He’s a very busy contract plumber who sees lots of these types of situations in residential and commercial facilities where laying new pipes is just ridiculously expensive and disruptive or completely out of the question.

“He saw that our way of doing things is the way of the future, and he wants to come on board so he can help other customers in similar situations.

WHERE OTHERS GO WRONG

Bell said that as with this job, it’s the hidden extra costs associated with laying new pipes that hurt the most.

“That’s what a lot of people don’t realise,” he shakes his head.

“Sure, the cost of traditional pipe relaying is about the same as our relining processes, but then you’ve got all the preparation and excavation costs at the start, and the bill for getting everything functioning properly again afterwards.

“That’s what makes pipe relining for pipe repairs such a cost-effective alternative because with relining you don’t have to destroy anything.

“There’s nothing to dig up, no rubbish to dispose of, and no rectification bill at the end.

“If they’d re-piped this job they’d have had the cutting and then they’d have had to put all the road base in on top of the new pipes, compact it down, pour concrete in and have the guys finish it all off, which would have been a huge additional cost.”

There is also the issue of the life expectancy of the new pipe being installed, which for in-ground copper pipes with acidic or aggressive water or soil might only be twenty years.

“But by using Nuflow pipe repair solutions to reline their pipes they saved about 50 per cent on the original quote. They got a 50-year guarantee on the job and didn’t lose a single day of productivity,” Bell said.

“So yes”¦. they were definitely happy.”

For custom solutions to challenging pipe problems, call1800 683 569 (Australia), 0800 168 356 (New Zealand) orvisit our contact page to find your nearest technician.

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