A leaking welded saddle joint on a 150mm steel pipe is sealed with a repair built over a 20mm step
Leaking pipe saddle repair made using Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape

Case Study: Leaking Welded Saddle Joint Repair on 150mm Steel Pipe at Pumping House

A challenging repair in Malaysia sees a 150mm steel pipe connected to a pumping house leaking from both ends of a welded saddle joint successfully sealed. The application involved an innovative repair method of using Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape to build a rubber ridge up and over the 20mm step between the line and the joint.

Case Study Overview

Site Pumping house
Location Malaysia
Repair Type Live leak repair
Defect Leaking saddle joint on a 150mm steel pipe with a 20mm step

Repair Products

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape

Case Study PDF

Download Leaking Welded Saddle Joint Repair Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

The 150mm steel pipe ran water out of the pumping house. The saddle joint had been welded in place to reinforce a capped tee and sat approximately 20mm higher than the original line. One end of the joint was suffering from heavy corrosion.

Water had been found seeping from both ends of the joint, leaving the pipe surface noticeably wet and the ground beneath the pipe sodden. The pipe could not be isolated or replaced because this would involve shutting down the pumping station.

Several repair attempts had failed, including a clamp
One end of the saddle joint was suffering from heavy corrosion whilst water was seeping from both

Several repair attempts had been made using different methods by the water company operating the facility, including the use of a clamp and epoxy putty, but none had been successful. The pipe had therefore been left to leak.

Whilst on a visit to Malaysia, a technician from Sylmasta was asked to accompany a engineering team to inspect the pipe and see if a solution could be formulated.

They recommended using Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape to start a repair on the original steel pipe and build it up and over the weld, encompassing and sealing either end of the saddle joint.

The pipe was cleaned and prepared before repair

First, an angle grinder was used to sand down the pipe, clean it of loose material and remove corrosion. A first Wrap & Seal Tape was then applied directly next to the step.

Wrap & Seal is self-amalgamating and stretches by three times its length, fusing together to form a solid rubber band.

Sylmasta formulated a repair method for a leaking welded saddle joint in Malaysia
Wrap & Seal application started on the pipe next to the saddle, was built up until level with the step and then continued across onto the joint

With each rotation, the Tape moved closer to being level with the top of the saddle joint. The application continued until enough Wrap & Seal had been applied to bridge the 20mm step between the pipe and the saddle.

Once this had been achieved, Wrap & Seal was applied 50mm across the saddle to achieve a good connection. It was then returned to directly over the edge of the joint.

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape applied to a leaking welded saddle joint at a pumping house in Malaysia
Once Tape had been built up and over the saddle, wrapping continued immediately over the leak area
Wrap & Seal makes a repair to a leaking welded saddle joint in Malaysia by forming a solid rubber ridge over the step
The finished repair with both ends of the saddle joint sealed

Here, a ridge was created directly over the leak area to increase the pressure resistance of the repair. It was estimated that three Wrap & Seal Tapes needed to be used to seal one end, after which the process was repeated at the other end of the saddle joint.

Because the leak had been seeping water slowly, the only way to check whether the application had been effective was to inspect several days later. When the pipe surface was found to be dry, the welded saddle joint repair was deemed a success.

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating tape which formed a solid rubber ridge over the leaking weld

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