Quick action from Planned Maintenance
(Pennine) Limited, using internal sealing technology, has fixed
underground pipeline leaks at Sandon Dock Wastewater Treatment Works,
in Liverpool.
Birse Construction brought in PMP following hydraulic tests on a
new treatment tank. PMP used the renowned AMEX-10-Seal to repair
leaking joints in a buried 1000mm diameter outlet pipe under a head
of around 3 bar, after water appeared between paving blocks at the
WwTW site. The problem joints were located directly under a building
and posed a threat to foundations.
A four-man team from PMP completed the work within 48 hours. They
gained access to the pipeline thorough the outlet in the tank floor
and fitted four pipe joints, including a steel-to-concrete pipe
joint, with the Amex seal. This is a low profile mechanical seal
with a robust, abrasion resistant section of rubber that spans the
joint. It is fitted using hydraulic expansion of stainless steel
compression rings and is able to accommodate substantial joint movement.
Ground settlement was a suspected cause of the leaks. Sandon Dock
WwTW is built on a Victorian dock site, with in-filled basins and
buried masonry structures. Birse Construction Manager, Tom Gilfeather
explained that this was no straightforward job: “Because of
the location of the outlet we could not get access to control the
water in the pipe until we had built a weir wall inside the tank.
Once this was achieved we conducted a CCTV survey but the results
were inconclusive. Therefore we had all four joints sealed.
“ PMP proved this was the best solution. They worked rapidly
and effectively using conventional safety procedures, so I would
not hesitate to recommend their services.”
