Case Study Overview

Site Super yacht
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type No pressure pipe repair
Defect Hole in welded joint of steel bilge pipe

Repair Products

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage,
SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case

Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

Bilge pumps are one of the most important systems on any boat for keeping the vessel dry and safe. Water naturally collects at the lowest point on board a boat from everyday sources like rainwater, waves when sailing rough seas and spray.

The bilge pump removes this excess water and other fluids which may have found their way to the bottom of the vessel – such as engine oil – by pumping it through a series of pipes and out via an exit hole in the hull.

This prevents flooding impacting the balance of the boat and causing overflow into other areas. Oily water coming into contact with machinery or electrics in the engine room for example can cause serious problems, potentially destroying a boat’s system.

In the event of a hull breach, a bilge pump removing water as it is being taken onboard buys time to slow or repair the leak. If major damage is obtained, the bilge pump allows for safe evacuation by helping keep the vessel afloat for longer than would otherwise be possible.

Corrosion had caused the leak in the superyacht bilge pipe by attacking the steel at a welded joint. The subsequent hole was close to a 90-degree elbow and the hull of the boat.

It was also surrounded by other pipes and equipment, making it impossible to repair with a clamp. With water jetting out the pipe whenever the bilge pump went into operation, the hole needed to be urgently sealed until a new pipe could be fabricated and installed.

The superyacht were sent a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case, from which Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape was used to seal the leak. Wrap & Seal is a self-amalgamating repair tape with a unique tapered profile which stretches by three times its length.

As it was wrapped around the pipe, it fused to form a solid rubber band capable of containing the water sent through the line by the bilge pump at around 2 bar pressure.

The repair was then reinforced using a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite wrap with a water activated resin. It was wrapped and smoothed around the pipe, curing in minutes to form a rock hard, impact resistant sleeve.

Completing the bilge pump pipe repair took under 30 minutes at a material cost of a little less than £70. And having discovered how quick and easy a SylWrap repair is, the superyacht now permanently carries a Pipe Repair Contractor Case on board.

The Case contains enough products to make up to six live leak repairs to pipes of different diameters. It is easily stored onboard and means repairs can be made to any boat pipes on the superyacht as soon as leaks develop – even when sailing the high seas.

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Repair tape which amalgamates to form a solid band containing high pressure live leaks

SylWrap HD Bandage
Water-activated wrap sets rock hard to reinforce and protect repairs

Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Easy-to-store Case containing enough Wrap & Seal and SylWrap for multiple live leak repairs

Related Case Studies

Case Study: Repair of Leaking Expansion Joint Fitted to Water Main Pipe on UK Road Bridge

An expansion joint on a 225mm steel water main carried over a river by a major road suspension bridge is repaired after it began leaking from a split between two bellows

Case Study: Oil Refinery Repair Cooling Pipe System Attacked by Microbially Induced Corrosion

An oil refinery carry out a major pipe repair programme after microbially induced corrosion caused welded joints in the stainless steel water cooling system to fail

Case Study: Alcohol Line Live Leak Pipe Repair at Sugar Mill in Costa Rica

A sugar mill in Costa Rica seal a 70mm pipe running vertically up a tower after alcohol juice extracted during cane fermentation was found spraying out a pinhole at 2 bar pressure

Case Study: 6 Bar Live Leak Repair to 300mm Steel Pipe at Malaysia Water Treatment Plant

One week after a series of demonstrations and site visits from Sylmasta in Malaysia, a water company repair a 6 bar live leak on a 300mm steel pipe at a treatment plant

Case Study: Burst Copper Pipe Repair in Portable Horse & Dog Shower Unit

Copper pipes in a number of horse and dog showers which burst when temperatures in the UK went as low as -15°C are repaired, returning the units to service in under 30 minutes