When choosing an appropriate utility piping material for your water or wastewater project, there is so much more to consider than just the purchase price alone. This comparison between two popular piping materials – HDPE and Ductile iron pipe – demonstrates the need for more than just a cursory review or habitual choice. At McWane Ductile, we are always available to run through the matrix with you. Some installations or conditions do favor alternate materials, yet it’s hardly ever a cut-and-dried deal. Let’s take a closer look to find out why.
How often have we heard a developer tell a utility they simply can’t afford to install Ductile iron pipe (DI Pipe) for a planned subdivision because it’s too expensive. After all, the developer is providing the water and wastewater mains for free, transferring ownership to the local utility usually after one year.
Forty miles north of Bangor, Maine, at the confluence of the Piscataquis, Pleasant and Sebec Rivers, is the town of Milo Maine, a charming enclave founded in 1802. The early history of Milo was dominated by iron works and railroads where it soon became home to the second largest railroad car and repair facility in the New England territory at that time.
Gaskets Are Great
Rubber gaskets are the reliable workhorse of any Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) joint. They provide long-lasting flexibility and a watertight seal against internal pressures upwards of 1,000 psi.
What they don’t do, however, is bind the joint longitudinally against such forces. In fact, without assistance from other variables, a push-on or mechanical joint of any diameter would calmly separate lengthwise against pressures as low as 50 psi.
Over the past several years, you may have heard a lot about applying zinc to your Ductile iron pipe as either a means of corrosion protection or as an added product which will extend the life of DI pipe in a non-corrosive environment. In this blog, we will look a bit closer at the origin of the practice and effectiveness of using zinc for external corrosion protection.
It is very common to get certain questions from our customers regarding the interchangeability of push-on or compression type gaskets that are typically supplied with Ductile iron pipe. These questions are usually easy to answer in a very definitive manner, but there are some exceptions. In this edition of Iron Strong, we will address the three most common questions about gaskets and why this can sometimes be confusing to our customers.
Every day around the world, Ductile iron pipe is being installed and used to provide individuals and families the luxury of having quick and easy access to clean water. From the manufacture to the contractor, the end goal is the same; that each pipe joint form a watertight seal after proper assembly.
A displaced or rolled gasket creating water loss in a ductile iron pipeline is one of the most common errors that occurs during joint assembly. Using the resources and experience of McWane Ductile’s long history of manufacturing iron pipe, this blog will provide some helpful tips regarding how to avoid this costly mistake when installing push-on joint pipe.
Radial Welded-on Outlets, Tangential Outlets, Bossed Outlets, and Thread-O-Lets. Have you ever been involved in a project utilizing one of the various pipe outlet configurations? If so, you are likely aware of the special care these products require. If you haven’t been involved in a project requiring outlet piping, then within this blog we will explain the types of outlets available and the importance of the unloading, storage, and installation process.
Ductile Iron (DI pipe) was first used in the United States as early as 1950's. Since iron pipe was one of the earliest pipe materials to be used in modern water works and wastewater systems, most early fittings and couplings were designed to be used on Grey Cast and then Ductile iron pipe.
So, connecting “other” piping material to DI pipe is very straightforward on the Ductile pipe side of the fitting. The most important item to consider is on the other material side of the connection.
“Why should I use ductile iron pipe?”
The question is ostensibly meant to include “instead of other types of piping material.” Well, the reasons are vast and varies depending on project requirements. Since we aren’t talking about a specific project, we’ll look at the general overriding reasons ductile iron pipe is the best choice for your piping projects.
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