Over the years, I have spoken with numerous engineers, utilities, and municipalities, and there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to the overall understanding of when and where cement-mortar-lined pipe can be used in wastewater applications. Due to these grey areas, engineers and owners often specify specialty linings for an entire project when the line could have been specified as either cement-mortar lined ductile iron pipe only or a mixture of specialty lined and cement-lined pipe.
A common question that many sales reps in the Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) industry have heard over the years is, "Are you sure you’ve quoted the 3” and 4” pipe correctly?” Once that price is confirmed, the follow-up question from the customer is usually “Why in the world does it cost so much?” Well, there are many reasons for the higher cost, and in this Iron Strong Blog, we will offer some insight into that question.
Question – What is the difference between Ductile Iron and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)? Answer – Many things, but some groups may attempt to “muddy the waters” with inaccurate information regarding the two materials.
With the information that follows, we will take a closer look at what really separates Ductile Iron from PVC and why it matters.
Got Certification? Does your fabricated Ductile iron pipe meet the current ANSI/AWWA C115 / A21.15-11 Standard for fabricated pipe?
Products intended for contact with potable water shall be certified to the requirements of NSF/ANSI 61. The certification shall be accomplished by a certification organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) AWWA Standard, ANSI/AWWA C115/A21.15-11 Section 4.1.2. This standard includes water service pipe, water distribution lines, water treatment plants (WTP), and commercial and industrial services lines.
What to do when your hydrostatic PROOF goes POOF? All too often, the tester becomes a prisoner of the gauge, wistfully hoping that somehow, someway, each time the pipeline is pumped back to the same pressure, it would bring a different or better result. On the other hand, in less than 2-hours, the McWane Ductile Double Bump Test (DBT) offers these benefits:
One question we often receive in the field is, "Can you use Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) when running hot water or steam through pipe?" The answer to that question is YES, but there are several factors you must consider. For this Iron Strong Blog, we are going to look at these factors to help determine what products are needed for each application.
What is the maximum internal pressure Ductile iron pipe (DI pipe) can handle, you ask? The simple truth is it depends entirely upon the size of the pipe and its wall thickness. And within any given DI pipe diameter there can be as many as 12 correct yet different answers, given the wide range of intermingled thickness class and pressure class pipe selections available.
Recently, there have been multiple unsuccessful attempts by plastic pipe manufacturers and their trade associations to have legislation passed, mostly on the state level, requiring utilities to specify plastic pipes on their projects.
This legislation is a subject worth exploring deeper as it is being promoted by supporters of plastic and their lobbyists as a fiscally responsible requirement. Still, it provides no consideration for the many variables required in material selection or pipeline design; all are completely ignored in the proposed legislation which would ultimately be an "initial price only" comparison.
One of the more frequent questions we receive in the field is, “What is the size of a piece of Ductile iron pipe?” But that question may apply to the Outside Diameter (OD) or Inside Diameter (ID) of a piece of pipe. For this Iron Strong Blog, we are going to look at a particular size of pipe to help us understand why the OD and ID’s are important to you. We will be using 24 inches as our example pipe size.
Every summer, I go backpacking with my family into the Uinta Mountains of Utah. The Uinta mountain range is enormous, very remote, and extremely beautiful. One of the most scenic areas in the entire range is called Red Castle. In this area of the Uintas rises a towering red monolith with peaks that reach straight into the sky, hence the name. Getting there requires a grueling 10-mile trek, but the beauty and serenity are well worth the effort...
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