What Shape are Your Pipe Supports In?
When it comes to your water utility, you’ve already got a decent idea of what condition your pipes are in, whether they’re supplying water or removing waste. But what about the pipe supports that prop them up? If they’re in bad condition and aren’t being checked for corrosion or weakness, you may find yourself in the middle of a crisis with burst pipes and unhappy customers. Here’s more information on how to inspect your pipe supports and when they need replacing.
Pipe supports are often found in a wide range of locations in a water utility’s system, but for inspection and replacement purposes, water meter and back flow vaults are two of the primary areas where problems can occur. When water leaks into a water meter vault or water is released into a back flow vault, it can create a damp, humid environment that can quickly lead to corrosion of the pipe supports. When the supports become too corroded to support the weight of the pipe, they can fail, with the resulting lack of support potentially causing problems with the water lines, meter or similar areas.
Having your crews regularly inspect the pipe supports in these locations can help you catch corroded pipe supports before they reach this critical failure point. Whenever your crew is opening these vaults, they should check the pipe supports. Are they badly corroded? Another potential point of concern is whether the pipe supports can still be adjusted in height to account for changes that happen by the work the crew is undertaking that day. If the support cannot be adjusted due to corrosion on the threads or drive head, it will not be able to properly support the pipe following the work.
At a minimum, you may want to schedule inspection of vaults that have not been opened for maintenance or repair work over the past year. If you need to replace a corroded pipe stand, you may want to consider using ones of higher quality that will give you a much longer period of service. Our Redi-Jack Pipe Supports are constructed from high-quality sch40 steel and are protected with a strong coat of industrial enamel to prevent corrosion. However, if you need additional protection due to a highly corrosive environment, you may order them with an epoxy coating for even tougher protection.
By taking the time to inspect and replace your pipe supports, you can rest assured that one more aspect of your water utility’s system is being treated proactively to prevent emergencies. Available from 2″ to 24″, our Redi-Jack Pipe Supports are easy to install and can be epoxy coated to ensure a longer lifespan and years of durable service, helping to prevent a line breakage crisis caused by a failure of a corroded pipe support. Need help determining exactly which one is the right support for your situation? Red Hed Manufacturing is always happy to help. Please feel free to contact us today for more information.
