Case Study: Live Leak Contaminated Water Pipe Repair at a Wastewater Treatment Plant
A wastewater treatment plant was undergoing a major infrastructure upgrade when contractors mistakenly cut through a 450mm steel contaminated water pipe which subsequently required a rapid live leak repair. The highly pressurised leak was sealed within one hour as Sylmasta products helped prevent a serious environmental incident from happening.
Case Study Overview
Site Wastewater treatment plant
Location Sussex, UK
Repair Type Live leak pipe repair
Defect 450mm steel contaminated water pipe accidentally breached during groundwork
Repair Products
Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage,
SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Case Study PDF
Case Study Details
Contractors working at a wastewater treatment plant in the United Kingdom mistakenly believed a 450mm steel pipe carrying contaminated water had been decommissioned and was due for removal.
In actual fact, it was one of the most important live pipes on site and was linked to all the waste treatment ponds. As a result, there was no feasible way to stop the flow once the pipe had been accidentally breached.
From the moment the pipe was damaged, the severity of the cuts inflicted to such a highly pressurised pipe resulted in a significant amount of contaminated water escaping.
A rapid, live leak repair to the wastewater pipe was therefore required to prevent a catastrophic situation from occurring.
The contractor contacted Sylmasta for urgent assistance. Luckily, the plant was located less than one hour from Sylmasta HQ, so our technical team were able to rush all the products needed to the site and offer assistance throughout the repair.
Several Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape were first applied to the pipe. Wrap & Seal is a self-amalgamating repair tape which fuses to itself to form a solid rubber band over the hole or crack, sealing the leak.
The 450mm diameter of the pipe combined with the high pressure meant that multiple tapes were needed to seal the leak. Separate tapes amalgamate to each other in the same way, creating a repair with potential resistance up to 30 bar.
This initial repair was then overwrapped using a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water-activated resin.
It was wrapped and smoothed around the pipe, setting rock hard in 30 minutes to provide an impact resistant layer over the Wrap & Seal which protected the repair from further damage.
Within an hour of Sylmasta being on site, the contaminated water pipe had been permanently repaired at a cost of less than £300 to the contractor.
This included additional SylWrap HD should there be any further mishaps or any existing pipes require strengthening or reinforcing during the construction works.
Had a live leak repair not been possible, the wastewater treatment plant would have needed to shut down the entire site to isolate the damaged pipe whilst a replacement was sourced and fitted. The cost of such a procedure would have been astronomical.
The speed of the SylWrap repair also helped prevent a serious environmental incident from unfolding. This could have been damaging in monetary terms through the cost of a clean up operation and possible fines, and for the reputations of the plant and contractor.
Understandably, the project manager was extremely happy with the speed and ease with which the contaminated water pipe had been repaired. He emailed Sylmasta a few days after the repair, saying: “Thank you so much, the pipe repair worked a treat.”
Sylmasta have since recommended that wastewater treatment plant takes stock of a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case. The Case contains enough pipe repair products to carry out up to six live leak pipe repairs.
By keeping one on site, the plant will have everything they need to fix any future leaks as soon as a problem arises.
Products Used
Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating repair tape fuses together to seal high pressure live leaks
SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap sets to provide a rock-hard, protective shell around pipework
Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Easy-to-store Case containing enough Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD for multiple repairs
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