Jason McIlwee, PE is the Utilities Engineering Manager for the Department of Utilities in Charlottesville, Virginia. The city has a population of about 48,000 with 15,000 customers served by 183 miles of piping. The pipe sizes range from 2” to 18” which are made from a range of materials including galvanized iron, ductile iron, cast iron and high-density polyethylene.
The utility was going to replace a mechanical Tee that had 2” piping connected to it. To address customer complaints related to low water volume and water discoloration, the utility was going to replace the pipes with 6” piping. A new Tee needed to be installed and the utility was looking for a fast, easy way to make the replacement while minimizing water shutdown time.
The Charlottesville utility had used HYMAX® products for the last 13 years, including the HYMAX GRIP® products over the last six years. The HYMAX GRIP Tee was easier and faster to install compared to the mechanical joint Tee – each end of the T only had one bolt to tighten compared to multiple bolts. McIlwee and his crew were able to replace the 2” piping with the 6” and insert the HYMAXGRIP Tee T in about an hour compared to several hours with the mechanical Tee. Both pedestrian and road traffic were minimized, and customers could return to regular water service with reduced disruption.
There were three advantages for using the HYMAX GRIP® Tee:
1. Ease of Installation
The HYMAX GRIP® chain provided a circular restraint around the pipe, unlike typical wedge-style restraints that point-load and weaken the pipe. As the pipe applies axial pressure, the HYMAX GRIP chain tightens around the pipe to prevent pullout. The radial closing mechanism also held the pipes tightly in place during installation to give installers full control over the gap between pipes.
The universal gripping system restrains metal and plastic pipes and has a transition capability of up to 1.1”. It can work with a wide range of pipe diameters, meaning that Charlottesville’s water utility had extra flexibility to use the HYMAX GRIP Tee for a variety of other pipe sizes. By using HYMAX GRIP Tee instead of mechanical joints, the utility could get the job done faster and spend less time in the ditch. “Anytime we can minimize worker time in the ditch is a good thing as it makes for a safer work environment,” said McIIwee. “With fewer bolts to tighten, we could install the Tee faster, get workers out of the ditch and return water service to customers in less time.”
