Case Study Overview

Site Portable animal shower
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type Leak repair
Defect Split in copper pipe caused by freezing temperatures

Repair Products

Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage,
SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

Showerking are a Sussex-based supplier of portable hot shower units designed for horses, dogs and other animals. Units are typically stored in unheated outbuildings.

Although designed to handle winter weather, copper pipe in the unit which has not been fully drained becomes prone to bursting during periods of exceptionally cold weather.

When temperatures in the United Kingdom dropped as low as -15°C, several Showerking owners reported burst pipes which rendered their units unusable. If they turned the shower on, water would spray out of the large crack created in the copper pipe.

Fortunately, Showerking had already contacted Sylmasta about the possibilities of pipe repair for horse showers. The SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit provided the most suitable method as units would be turned off in the event of leaks or bursts, meaning no pressure to the pipe.

It had been established that the smallest Standard Pipe Repair Kit (SYL-106-NP) was ideal for application because of both the cramped space inside the unit and the difficult shape of the pipework. There were many bends which were unrepairable with a clamp.

Through the relationship between Showerking and Sylmasta, users whose horse showers had suffered burst pipes were directed to the exact product they needed to fix the problem, and had the straightforward repair process explained to them.

Loose material was removed from the burst copper pipe before repair. Superfast Copper Epoxy Putty Stick was then used to seal the crack. Enough putty to cover the crack was cut from the stick and kneaded by hand until it turned a uniform colour.

Whilst soft, the putty was pushed onto the pipe, encompassing the entire crack. This completed the first stage of the repair. The second stage involved applying a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage over the Superfast Copper.

SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water-activated resin which sets rock hard. The bandage was wrapped and smoothed around the pipe as the Superfast Copper began to harden, forcing the putty into the crack to create a permanent, watertight seal.

Within five minutes of SylWrap HD being applied, the bandage had cured to form a rock hard shell reinforcing the pipe. It also offered protection from expansion in the future. The completed repair was resistant to 30bar, making it more than capable of holding the pressure the unit operated at.

The repair took less than 30 minutes from start to finish and the SYL-106-NP Standard Pipe Repair Kit cost under £25 including delivery, returning the £180 Showerking unit to service the same day.

Products Used

Superfast Copper
Epoxy putty seals small holes and cracks in copper pipe in under five minutes

SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap sets rock hard to reinforce repairs made with epoxy putty

Standard Pipe Repair Kit
Kit containing Superfast Epoxy Putty and SylWrap HD for making rapid offline pipe repairs

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